Chapter 5 (Weiss POV)
Even in the worst of spring's chill, the evening air is warmer in Vale than I'm used to by far. The sun stays out for longer, the breeze carries a vague scent of flowers bloom. It's no question why Yang is fond of vacationing here. It isn't just because of her father, but because Vale's countryside is truly a lovely place. The budding greenery spreads far, and the wildlife wander in the peaceful meadows without fear. Some venture close to nibble on the oats left out upon the light dusting of snow that has yet to melt. It's a sight I rarely see. A mother and her fawn meandering around in the edges of the trees.
Arm-in-arm with Blake, I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable outing. If only it could have lasted longer. If only we could have stolen just a few more of those fleeting moments for ourselves…and…perhaps…
Perhaps… If we had both been willing…
Perhaps we might have shared a kiss?
That would have been the highlight to a wondrous evening. If only we could have. If only it wouldn't seem so completely improper.
Sadly, it's just too soon for that.
Blake returns me to my sister long before the sun sets. As a Faunus, she doesn't care for human practices. Particularly those of an Atlesian highborn. I don't blame her. Atlas has some of the most stringent practices a human can come by. In terms of wooing a lover, it can be a long process. I don't like having to part ways with Blake so soon, but, there's nothing to be done about it. Winter would be displeased if I acted anything less than a Schnee.
With the promise of tomorrow just around the corner, I bid Blake a good night.
Closing the door, I turn to the large sitting area, fire already burning brightly. Winter sits with a book in hand, the particular tome is one of her favorites. She only looks up for a moment to regard me, her focus shifts to Yang the moment she's able. Her eyes light up then, more than happy to see Yang. The tome closes and the page goes forgotten. It's the nearest thing I know to true love. Fickle though the concept is, theirs seems steadfast and unwavering.
I let a ghost of a smile fade across my lips as I go into my own room, locking myself away from the happy couple. I wish my own room felt so warm, a light within it that didn't come from a fire. Instead, the accommodations are adequate, yet void of companionship. Blake's words still linger in my head, and I lick my lips, the implication clear. If I were a Faunus, perhaps she would be here at my side. We would be allowed our little affections with no one to stop us.
I can't help but think how wonderful that would be.
If only it were so simple.
Yet, I know it is not.
It hurts to think that Winter trusts my feeling so little, but, I know that is not the only reason she hesitates. Blood has soaked the lands between the humans and the Faunus. It has sullied her hands in a way that will never truly wash away. She cannot forget the lives she has taken, or the lives that were torn away from her in return. War, she says, is a hellacious monstrosity. It comes deep from the bowels of mankind, and as such, it shows the filth that cakes every living creature.
I can only take her word for it.
A knock comes at that door. "Enter." I call out to my visitor. In comes Glynda Goodwitch, my personal companion. She acts as my retainer, as is customary for those unwed. She was my sister's retainer too. She is not a noble, but, certainly of the gentry.
"Ah, there you are, princess. I was wondering if you were still out touring the grounds. Thankfully, you are here earlier than I expected." Glynda says, a fine sterling silver tray in her hands. "I wish you would have told me you were leaving to tour the grounds. I would have come with you."
"Yang accompanied us, so there was no need for you to come." Of which, I am quite thankful. Glynda would have never allowed Blake to be so near to me. We would not have been able to touch if Glynda had her way about things.
"She did?" Glynda paused, head tilting to the side just the lightest in concern. "The queen truly thought to allow that?"
"I don't believe she had a choice in the matter." No, not at all, as I recall. Yang quite blatantly told Winter that we were off to walk the grounds. My sister probably didn't think it would be worth the argument.
"But, the queen's consort is so young…" Glynda murmured. "It's not quite proper for her to act as your guardian in these matters, wouldn't you say?"
"When have you ever known Yang to be proper?" I ask in return.
"Yes, I suspect you make a good point." Glynda deflates unhappily. "As I understand it then, you been hiding here ever since. You returned from your outing, yet, you still chose to avoid this evening's tea. That seems rather curious for you. Might I ask why?"
"I didn't desire a companion." I say with a quick wave of my hand. "I was rather busy putting my own thoughts in order."
"If you had come to tea we could have discussed the correspondence that now litters your desk." Glinda said with a soft shake of her head. "Do not forget your place, princess. To do so would not be advised, not even by the queen herself."
"Yes, yes, as I am often reminded." With a soft scoff I hope to dismiss her.
As always, Glynda is persistent. "Not often enough it seems."
"Doesn't it occur to either of you that I might be able to survive an afternoon on my own?" I ask, my annoyed glance doing nothing to phase her. "I certainly seemed to do just fine today. Isn't that proof enough that I can manage without you two worrying after every little thing?"
"What might happen if you couldn't? Even if it were to be merely a fluke, the damage may be too much to undo. You wouldn't want to happen, now would you?" She asks, clinging to the easiest argument to make. That of my virtue, and the possible loss of it. As though unsavory sorts run rampant, or that I might cross paths with such a person. "If we worry, princess, it is because we care."
"Then perhaps you should endeavor to care less in the future." I say, and in truth I am only mildly agitated. It isn't as if Glynda chooses to be so impossible to deal with. She's a woman of Vale. Prim and proper, certainly, but not of Atlesian blood. She would not be so strict if she could afford it. Sadly, Atlas will never be as lax as Vale. Winter would never be accommodating should even the slightest advance of my virtue occur. "It isn't that I disparage your efforts, Glynda. It's that I'm suck and tired of being coddled like a child. Yang is the only one that could possibly entertain my whims without fear of reprimand."
"As though reprimand would stop her in the first place." Glynda mutters under her breath. I cannot help but laugh at little at her expense. "I would advise that you look over the new missives awaiting you. Several came and each of them await a response from you. " Glynda said as she gestured towards the desk. "I will pour you a cup of tea, and then we may discuss them together."
There is an elegant marble desk near my bed. A small stack of letters rest there on one side. On the other, my replies lay waiting to be sealed away. In the middle, a few fine sheets of parchment beseech my sister's approval. Blake's formal request is not the only one I've received. In fact, it is the one favored least by my sister. I lift the one sitting atop the stack, unfurling the length to give it a read.
"I don't even recognize this man's name." I say as I glance over the elegant script. It was not written by anyone other than a scribe. Expertly dictated, in hopes to gain further my attention, no doubt. "I would never be able to place his face in a crowd."
"Yes, well you should not be surprised." Glynda says as she brings the tea to my side. Placing the elegant china cup down in the small carving in the marble. The perfect place for a saucer and teacup. "Word of your eligibility will reach the ears of many suitors."
"His station is an insult." I say then, looking up to Glynda with a frown. "Look here, a mere knight requests me, how laughable."
"More laughable than a Faunus?" She asks, as though I'm simply being stubborn. She misses a key detail.
"A Faunus I have made the acquaintance with." I say pointedly. "I do not think I have even met this man, not for a moment."
"He is a man of Vale. You must understand, we are not as aware of station here. With the noblesse oblige such as it is, a knight might in fact marry a princess. Particularly if he were a knight with something to recommend of him." Glynda says with something of a smile. I know that look, the one founded upon deep pride for this homeland of hers. "King Ozma was a mere knight himself, so many years ago. We place our values more upon the construct of fine character, and less on that of bloodline."
I can only laugh at that. "If only all knights were of sound mind and proper character." I say beginning to roll the parchment back up. "It astounds me to think how unforgettable he must be. Otherwise I would easily recall him. Perhaps it is true that we have never met in person. If so, where is the letter of recommendation sure to have accompanied his formal request?"
Glynda is meticulous in many things, it is her utmost responsibility to be so. She would never treat such important parcels with such blatant disregard. "In thinking on it, I'm not sure that I ever happened to see one." Thinking on this further, she regards the desk in front of us. No letter of introduction to be found. She lifts her own cup of tea to her lips, eyes scanning across the neatly formed stacks she took great care to make. "Perhaps it was lost by the currier, or, I may have misplaced it."
"Comical, but likely not factual. You may not be perfect, but, that's not the type of error you'd ever make. No, I'd wager that there was no introduction written at all." Yes, that must be it. Glynda is not a slovenly retainer. She would never think to misplace a letter that was meant for someone else. "This knight must be of rather preposterous ilk. This, Jaune Arc…"
"With no formal letter, we might never be sure." She carefully takes the rolled parchment from my hand. "I promise that I will make the proper inquires. I'm sure that someone must know him. I will find out as quickly as possible."
"Yes, see that you do." I mutter with no small hint of distaste. "Act with extreme prejudice, mind you. I do not want to give the false impression that I am actually interested in this man. Furthermore, when I pen my response to him, I intend to leave very little doubt about my displeasure. You can count on that."
"Yes princess." Glynda scowls softly. "As would be expected."
I pull the next roll of parchment and begin to unfurl it. I know this penmanship well. "This one comes from King Nikos, himself." I say, choosing to read further. "As expected, I am not the only one to have announced myself on the world's stage as ready to take a suitor. He states here that he's currently looking for a spouse for his daughter."
"Princess Nikos, now that would be a fine union." Glynda says delightfully. She gently cups her hands together, looking at me in what passes for excitement. "She would be wonderful for you, don't you think?"
"Only if I were to take this even half seriously. Pyrrha would never have entertained the notion of being married to me." I say, watching Glynda's expression falter. "It is a request of obligation, and nothing more. Our families have been tied by commerce and loyalty for centuries. It would be an insult of the highest order for King Nikos to not have sent one on his daughter's behalf. However, he is the one who sent it, meaning that Pyrrha refused to do so..."
"Then it is a great insult to you, regardless." she sighs.
"No, I doubt that it was meant to ever be an insult. She has promised never to undermine Blake's pursuits in the slightest. I believe Pyrrha's refusal to offer a proposal letter stems from that." Yes, I'm sure of it. "I trust Pyrrha's intentions implicitly. She had never once given me cause to doubt her."
"King Nikos obviously thinks highly of you, and you seem to think rather highly of his daughter." Glynda beseeches. "Will you not at least consider his request?"
"I will consider that he means the best for his people." I tell her. "We're bluebloods, we have an obligation to the kingdoms we inherit. As such, it would be an even greater insult from me not to offer a reply. My return document to him will take precedence, however, it will be a rejection." Yes, that will be fitting. A simple denial for a good friend, and one that Princess Nikos will surely agree with.
Among the others littering the desk, all of them hail from royalty in some form or another. Some suitors are several years my junior, writing to secure a promised betrothal. Some are far older, long lived rulers seeking remarriage. Beneath that entire pile, the one that most interests me is the Faunus, Blake Belladonna.
I do not want to lend an ear to other proposals, or give my hand to anyone else.
I begin to walk away when Glynda calls upon me once more. "Princess, we are not finished here."
"I most certainly am, Glynda." I say, giving her the coolest glare I can muster. "I will not entertain any more of this tonight." I am exhausted, and have no time for these marital games the world insists on playing. My affection must be kept aloft. Protected and to be cherished by only one person. "I am going out upon the balcony to get some air. If you choose to follow, I'd suggest you swiftly change the tides of this conversation. If that isn't to your liking, perhaps you'd find better company elsewhere."
