Chapter Eight: The Kingdom of Vacuo, Part Two
Unknown, Vacuo, Vacuo Kingdom, Sanus
Jaune's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up. He found himself in a cell with Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Neo, and Blake who were all knocked out. He went to Ruby and shook her lightly. She mumbled before waking up the same way he did. She noticed him and hugged him. Soon, the others woke up too and Neo joined their hug. Ruby and Neo let go of him and they all looked around. He noticed the floor was stone and the ceiling and walls of the circular room looked… organic which was creepy. And bones surrounded their cell.
"Where are we?" Blake asked quietly.
"Inside the giant Grimm Monstra. In the torture room."
The group turned and saw another cell with… Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. But they were all injured. Especially Cinder. She wore a tattered black tank top, black shorts, and black knee-high boots. And her left eye had a bandage over it. Jaune also noticed she also looked paler… And her left arm was absent…
"Cinder…" Ruby whispered in horror.
'What happened to you?" Jaune asked.
"Our Queen… Salem… She punished us… For our failure in Atlas… And Mistral…" Cinder whispered. Her eyes looked dull and her tone was plain. Emerald and Mercury looked worried. And Jaune noticed that even Neo was shocked.
"But you didn't fail at Atlas…" Weiss said coldly.
"We did to her. Watts died. And we failed to capture Arc. My left eye and left arm were from what happened in Atlas… Our other injuries were from her…" Cinder finished quietly.
"Why did she want you to capture me?" Jaune asked quietly.
"I don't know…" Cinder lowered her head and closed her eyes.
"She said she needed you alive. When she heard Watts died and Neo betrayed us, she didn't care. She only cared about what happened to you… Do any of you know why?" Emerald asked.
"No." Jaune sighed. He looked toward the others, they all looked defeated. None of them had their weapons either. They all knew it was to Ruby and Yang's parents to find them. Before Salem came to them.
"Any chance of that old guy with the weird sword finding us?" Mercury asked, annoyed.
"My dad-" Ruby said coldly. "-will find us. And my mom. And my uncle and aunt."
"And if they don't?" Mercury asked.
No one spoke after that. They knew the answer to that question. And it seemed that Mercury regretted asking it. That was when the door nearby opened and everyone stood but backed away from the cell door. Jaune, Ruby, Yang, Neo, Weiss, and Blake expected Salem but a scorpion faunus walked in instead… with gleeful eyes and a crazed smile. Jaune noticed Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury flinched slightly…
The scorpion faunus was a pale man with long brown hair and gold eyes and he wore a dark brown duster jacket, an open white sleeveless jacket that showed numerous scars on his arms and across his chest, white pants, and brown boots. He also had bandages around his arms, leather vambracers, two daggers, and a black scorpion tail. He eyed Jaune and his companions and his smile grew. He bowed mockingly while maintaining eye contact.
"Tyrian Callows! The Queen's Servant! The Queen's Blade…" Tyrian cackled before pretending to wipe away a tear. "But I know who you are… All of you… The Old Crow and Rose daughter! The teacher and the Bandit's daughter! The Schnee…" Tyrian's eyes narrowed at Weiss who fearfully held onto Jaune's arm while Neo and Blake got in front of them. That only caused him to smile more before he continued. "The Princess of Menagerie… My Lady! And the traitor! Oh, the Queen will want to see you! And you most of all! Our guest of honor! Oh! You've had the Queen's attention for so long! So very, very long!"
Jaune didn't speak. He was scared. They all were. Because they all knew the same thing. This man, Tyrian, was dangerous.
"I was actually jealous of you… I wanted to find you! But our Queen wouldn't allow me… She knew I wouldn't bring you back…" Tyrian smiled creepily. He then turned to Cinder who was held up by Emerald. Mercury stood in front of them both and glared at Tyrian. "And she sent poor Cinder to bring you here… But she failed!"
Tyrian cackled again, laughing mockingly at Cinder who lowered her head. Jaune was surprised to see tears fall from her eyes. But he also noticed something else. Above their cell was a crow and raven… And further up were two figures. One with blonde hair and another with a white cloak… Jaune spoke to get Tyrian's attention.
"A-and why did our Queen want me?" Jaune asked weakly. His companions looked at him with bewildered expressions until they noticed the same thing he did. But Tyrian snapped his head back to them and his smile disappeared. Before it returned. But it was much smaller than before.
"Oh? You don't know yet…"
"Know what?" Jaune asked more confidently. His eyes narrowed at Tyrian. But Tyrian lost his smile and stared at Jaune. His eyes dulled.
"Just like him…" Tyrian muttered to himself.
That was when Tyrian's eyes turned purple. He then turned and threw his two daggers at Crow and Raven. Both flew down and shifted into their human forms. Crow kicked Tyrian back before he unsheathed Harbinger and Raven Omen. Summer and Taiyang dropped from above and Summer unsheathed Winter Rose while Taiyang entered a fighting stance much like Yang but more mature. Tyrian recovered from the kick and grabbed two more daggers from behind his back. He then looked at them and his gleeful eyes and crazed smile returned.
"Team STRC… Our Queen will reward me greatly for defeating all of you…"
Silence. No one spoke further. No one moved. Jaune, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Neo, Blake, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury watched from their cells. Summer, Taiyang, Raven, and Crow stood side by side on one side and Tyrian on the other side of the room.
Jaune didn't know who moved first but Crow and Raven launched themselves forward and attempted to kill the scorpion faunus quickly. But he moved just as fast and rolled away, blocking both their swords with his daggers. His scorpion tail attempted to stab Crow but he backed away. Tyrian punched Raven away and rolled away before Summer could cut his head off with her ax.
Taiyang tried to follow with a punch but Tyrian backed away and attempted to cut him with his daggers. Taiyang blocked his attempts and punched him in the stomach, knocking him back. Raven attempted to stab him once again but his tail blocked her sword. Crow tried to help his sister but Tyrian blocked his sword with his daggers, all while cackling.
Crow and Raven backed away and Taiyang moved toward Tyrian again, punching him in the a few times. But his tail quickly butted itself against Taiyang, throwing him at Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury's cell. He hit the bars of the cell hard and he grunted in pain.
Crow swung his sword fast but Tyrian moved even faster, dodging all his attempts. His tail stopped Crow's sword and attempted to stab him with his daggers. Crow stopped one but the other hit his shoulder. Crow grimaced but knocked Tyrian's hand away, leaving him with one dagger. But Tyrian knocked him away into Jaune and his companions' cell.
Summer and Raven narrowed their eyes and glanced at each other before nodding. All while Tyrian smirked. Summer moved first and swung her ax before backing away. And Tyrian took the bait. Raven had shifted into a raven and flew past Summer and him before she shifted back and cut his tail clean off. Tyrian screamed.
"Y-you bitch!" Tears left his narrowed purple eyes.
But Summer and Raven said nothing. Raven shifted again while Summer swung her ax toward him. Tyrian expected them to repeat their previous attack but Raven only flew around him, leaving his back exposed to Summer who hit his back with her ax. He screamed but stopped when Raven shifted in front of him and stabbed him through the stomach with her sword. Both pulled their weapons away. And Tyrian fell.
Summer went to Crow while Raven went to Taiyang. Jaune, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Neo, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury had watched all of that in shock. Most of the fight had been a blur and ended in less than three minutes.
After Summer and Raven helped them up, Summer went beside the door and took the keys hanging from a rack. She went to Jaune, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Neo and opened the cell door. Immediately, Ruby hugged Summer and Crow and Yang did the same with Taiyany and Raven. Both Crow and Raven appeared shocked for a moment and shared a look. But jaune turned his attention to Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. He took the keys from Summer, who only nodded and smiled warmly, and he opened their cell door.
Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were all shocked. And Cinder lowered her head. After a second, she looked back up at Jaune and nodded.
Emerald helped Cinder out of the cell while Mercury followed awkwardly. They all looked at each other for a moment before Blake spoke.
"So how did you all get here?" Blake asked awkwardly.
"Dorothy showed us a way up to the top of the valley. We saw an opening on the side of this Grimm and jumped." Crow deadpanned. Jaune, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Neo, Blake, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury looked at him with bewildered looks. Crow simply shrugged. Finally, Jaune spoke.
"Are the ships still at the docks?"
"Only the Belladonna. Dorothy told us she would wait." Summer said.
"Okay then let's get out… of… here…" Jaune trailed off.
The torture room darkened. The air grew colder. And black smoke covered the floor. Jaune felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He noticed the look of horror on Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury's faces. His companions, Summer, Taiyang, Crow, and Raven noticed too. They all knew what was happening. They all knew who it was. And slowly, a figure stood from the black smoke in the center of the room.
An older woman with deathly white skin, long white hair, red irises with black scleras, and wore a short-sleeved black robe with a narrow window that revealed her bust and her fingernails were black and sharp.
But despite her sinister appearance, her small thin smile was what unnerved Jaune. And her eyes were far sharper than Dorothy's had been. They flickered to each of them, studying them all. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Neo, Blake, Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Summer, Taiyany, Crow, Raven… And him. Finally, she spoke in a soft, mature voice to him with a surprised hint of warmth.
"Jaune Arc."
Jaune felt his mouth open slightly but no words came out. But Salem's smile grew and she moved like a ghost across the black smoke covered floor. He felt frozen like the others and watched as she stopped in front of him. She placed a finger under his chin and raised his head slightly. Her finger was colder than the room. And Jaune felt his heart beat faster.
"You have her eyes… My Juniper… My youngest daughter…"
Complete silence. Jaune saw the confusion from everyone else but not him. He had been shocked. His mouth opened and closed but no words came out. He thought he had not heard her say something else. But he hadn't. Finally, he choked out the only words he could think of.
"W-what…"
Her smile only grew and she spoke in a motherly tone. She removed her finger from his chin and placed her cold hands on his shoulders.
"Of course, how could you have known… Your grandfather Jonathan, your father Nicholas, and your mother Juniper, my daughter, would have never told you and your sisters. How could they? That your grandmother was the Queen of the Grimm."
"Y-you're lying…"
"No, Jaune. I am not. We are family. We have always been family. But Ozpin… No, my dear Ozma and your grandfather wouldn't allow you and your sisters to know. Not after everything that happened."
Her smile disappeared and the warmth left from her eyes. Her hands fell from Jaune's shoulders and she moved behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders again. He noticed Neo looked like she wanted to pull him away from her but Summer stopped her. They all waited a few seconds before Salem spoke to him again.
"When the Great War started, I was the Princess of Mantle. Like your… friend, Weiss Schnee. But the title means little now after the councils were created and kings and queens were forgotten. But then… titles meant everything. My father wanted me to marry the Prince of Mistral. To completely ally ourselves against Vale and Vacuo. But then the former King of Vale died during the Battle of Oniyuri in Anima. My dear Ozpin… Who went by his true name Ozma then was a young knight in the Vale Army. He won that battle in the name of their fallen king and they crowned him the King of Vale. Your grandfather was his friend. He placed the crown himself."
While she talked, the black smoke created images or sets of what happened. The Princess of Mantle… Salem… She had been pale and young with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes and wore a sleeveless lavender dress. Her meeting with her father, an older man with graying blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and an uncaring expression at the top of a broken tower. Her meeting with the Prince of Mistral. The Battle of Oniyuri with knights from Vale and Vacuo fighting against knights from Mantle and Mistral. An older man with gray hair and tired gray eyes dying from a sword. The King of Vale. A young knight with dark skin, brown hair and brown eyes filled with victory who wore green and silver armor from Vale. Ozma. The last King of Vale. And another young man beside him with blonde hair and brown eyes. He placed a crown on his head. Jonathan Arc. The hero of the Great War. Jaune noticed the look of shock from everyone else. He was shocked himself. But Salem continued.
"The first time we met was during talks of peace between the four kingdoms on the small island of Vytal. He was like your grandfather. Your father. And you. He wanted to be a hero. And I had been a lonely princess who didn't want to marry the cruel prince my father wanted me to marry. I had wanted to fall in love with a young knight… And I did… We both did… The war ended and father had passed. We were free to marry. And we did. And we had four daughters. Fall, Winter, Spring, and… Summer. Our marriage brought peace to Remnant."
More black smoke created images of the past. Four men talking around a table surrounded by lords and ladies in a large tent. The King of Mantle. The Prince of Mistral. The King of Vacuo. And the last King of Vale. Salem stood beside her father. Her eyes focused on Ozma. And his eyes focused on her. All while his grandfather stood beside him, guarding him. And a funeral with Salem watching her father being buried. Her expression was blank with no tears while rain fell down on her.
The black smoke changed to a wedding between Salem and Ozma. They both smiled and kissed one another. Jonathan Arc had been there. And Nicholas Schnee. He had white hair and light blue eyes. Jaune noticed Weiss take a step closer to look at him. Her eyes wide and her mouth opened.
Another change. Four small children together with Salem and Ozma. The eldest had dark skin, blonde hair, and brown eyes and wore a green dress. Fall. The second daughter had pale skin, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes and wore a blue dress. Winter. The third daughter had pale skin, blonde hair, and brown eyes and wore a pink dress. Spring. And the youngest daughter had pale skin, blonde hair, and dark blue eyes… And wore an orange dress. Summer…
Once again, another change. In the former throne room of Beacon Academy, Ozma sat on a throne while Salem and their children stood beside him. Jonathan Arc and Nicholas Schnee kneeled before them.
"That should have been the end. That should have been our happily ever after… But you need to understand, Jaune. There is no happily ever after in this fairy tale… Because all men like my father are the same. Selfish. Our people… Traitors to our kingdom. They turned on us. And we lost three of our children…"
The black smoke changed to three bodies on the floor. Salem and Ozma held onto their surviving daughter Summer with tears in their eyes.
"After that… Ozma had the hope that humanity could overcome their violent behavior. But without kings or queens to rule them. I did not share his point of view. So in the middle of the night, he left… With our daughter who feared me… And in my grief, I threw myself into the Grimm pools in the Land of Darkness."
The black smoke revealed Ozma removing his crown. Then he left in the middle of the night on horseback with their daughter Summer while Salem tearfully watched from the highest tower of Beacon. And finally, Salem threw herself from a cliff into a Grimm pool. After a few seconds, she emerged as she appeared now with black tears falling from her eyes and black smoke appearing from her pale hands.
"A few years later, Ozma hid. Until he appeared as Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon. I knew he found a way to change his appearance. My own grandmother told me magic existed before it disappeared. I knew somehow he found it and used it to hide himself. But not our daughter. I had found her eventually. After she fell in love with your father. Jonathan's son. After they married. After she had seven daughters. And after, she had you. Your mother, Juniper Arc, is my youngest daughter Summer."
The black smoke changed Ozma to Ozpin with a flash of rainbow. And then Salem's younger daughter… His mother… Growing up from the small girl to his mother holding him. Jaune stepped away from Salem and felt sick. But Salem watched him patiently.
"Why show me this?! Why show me any of this?!" Jaune shouted.
"Because we are family, Jaune. And family belongs with each other. Stand beside me. And I'll spare your friends. I'll spare all of them. I won't harm you or your family because they're my family too. But your friends…" Salem glanced at the others who had watched in shock the past of the Queen of the Grimm. She returned her eyes to him. The warmth returned with her smile.
"You can be a hero, Jaune."
Jaune glanced at Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Neo, and Blake. Summer, Taiyang, Crow, and Raven. Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. He lowered his head. Then raised it to look at Salem. He grabbed a dagger from the black smoke covered floor and threw it directly at Salem.
It hit her close to her heart.
And Jaune's heart dropped.
The room grew colder. The warmth in Salem's eyes left. Her smile faded. And she stared at him with a blank expression. Finally, she spoke without emotion.
"Ozma was wrong. Love isn't the greatest emotion. It's fear. But don't worry. Your mother, your sisters, and you… You will all see things my way. After all, family is the most important thing in the world."
And then a dozen of Grimm arms appeared from the black smoke covered floor, attempting to grab him. Neo pulled Jaune away and they all fled from the torture room while Salem watched. Before he left the room completely, he saw her disappear into the floor.
"We need to get out of here now!" Taiyany said.
"This way!" Cinder said weakly.
Mercury and Emerald helped her along while they followed. Summer, Taiyang, Crow, and Summer were the only ones capable of fighting Salem but they knew that was a losing battle. And Yang had to make their thoughts known.
"The Queen of Grimm… Is your grandmother?!" Yang shouted.
"I know…" Jaune said weakly. "We need to get to Vale. My mom… She's-"
But they all stopped when Salem appeared in front of them. Her expression was blank but her eyes focused on Jaune. And behind her were hundreds of Beowolves and Ursas. Crow then pulled out a vial of dust and threw it into the organic wall and an explosion knocked them all back. Except Salem, who continued to stare at Jaune with a blank expression.
But a large hole with black blood pouring out created an escape for them. They saw the ships and the Belladonna below. They all looked at the Queen of Grimm before they shared a glance. Then they all jumped into the ocean below. Jaune looked back one last time to see Salem had disappeared again as the flying whale grimm descended into the ocean below with them.
But for the first time in months, Jaune felt fear for his family.
A/N: I know I'm going to have to address the Salem-Arc twist but I'm going to wait until the last two chapters are posted before I do. This chapter reveals a lot, or really all of what happened. At least, from Salem's point of view. But I feel the next two chapters justify (don't know if that's the right word) or show why I went with this twist. I know it's a fairly unpopular fan theory (or it was, the last I remember knowing about it. I haven't been a part of the fandom for some time). But funnily enough, when I knew Jaune was going to be the main character, I told myself right away I would never do this twist. But you'll understand in the final A/N at the end of chapter ten. I think the next two chapters, especially the last, will show why better than I can say why.
Anyway, thanks for reading!
And we are very close to the end. Up next: An Arc family reunion...