Emerald Vale was an opulent, beautiful place. Its thick walls had prevented it being occupied by a hostile power for hundreds of years and although it had been besieged many a time, it had never fallen to the Vacuoans or even to the Atlesians through force of arms.
Every time the city fell, it was through subversion from within.
During the Faunus Rights Rebellion, the city's governor, a Schnee, had refused to surrender and subjected the unprepared city to a siege that left its people starving with no news of relief coming from Atlas or the neutral Valean lords. The Schnee Governor had promptly been thrown from the city walls before the gates had been opened to welcome the rebels.
It was always the enemy within that brought the city low. Which was why it was not surprising a city preparing for civil war, a Mistrali invasion and a Vacuoan incursion had been put into lockdown.
It did make it hard for Glynda to enter it however. Hard, but not impossible.
'Though it would be preferable if it was easier.' She groaned internally, hand clutched over her nose but the pervasive smell of sewage still managing to invade her poor senses and leaving her feeling dazed and sickly.
After finding out the gates had been barred to everyone, apart from sellers of food and mercenaries offering their services, Glynda had been forced to look for another way to get into the city. It had almost been by accident that she had found the flowing sewage that fed into the River Jade, turning the river murky brown as it drifted southwards towards the Southern Ocean.
From there it had been a simple task of using her unique magic to manipulate the metal grate so that she could slip into the repugnant tunnel of human waste and sneak into the city. It had been around five minutes since she had used her magic, the art of ferrokinesis, or metal manipulation, to reseal the grate and began her journey into the underbelly of Emerald Vale, but to her it already felt like it had been hours, something not helped by the fact she could barely see a few feet ahead of her, having hastily created a torch before entering the dark, smelly abyss.
Time quickly faded as she splodged her way through brown liquid, grimacing whenever something more solid brushed up against her knees. The worst parts of her journey by far was when the current slowed and she had to wade her way through what was essentially a blockage of human shit, seeing far too much detail of what people had eaten along with random objects that had no place in a sewer, including a child's doll. Shivering with disgust and feeling off put by the way the doll stared at her, she discarded her ruined cape and the second she saw natural light she practically dove towards it like a sailor abandoning a sinking ship..
It turned out to be a waste cover, a small hole dug into the bottom of hills and covered by a metal grate to prevent people falling in. Whenever it rained, the water would flow down the hill and into the sewage, preventing flooding. It was also a sign that she was in the Middle City, the central part of Emerald Vale containing markets, manufacturers and a wealthy middle class. If it was the Lower City, there would have been no protective cover, and if it was the Upper City, then there would be a guard posted to it.
With a resigned sigh she waved the Disciplinarian, casting aside the metal grate before jumping up and pulling herself out of the smelly hellhole just underneath the blissfully ignorant residents of the city. The sun blared down overhead and she flinched for a few moments as she adjusted to the sudden brightness before resealing the waste cover and scrambling into a nearby alley, knowing that her stench and the condition of her clothes would reveal her as someone who had snuck into the city, which, considering the heightened security and paranoia being displayed in locking it down in the first place, suggested that was a one way ticket to the chopping block
So she peered into one of the nearby houses to check it was empty before using her magic to unlock the door, sneaking inside and grabbing some clothing that had been left in one of the rooms, quickly stripping off her ruined outfit and throwing it into the alleyway. Her new clothes were simple green dressed which irked her as the flowing skirt would impede her mobility and she had nowhere to conceal the Disciplinarian, so she held it casually and wrapped a dish rag over her head like it was bonnet, the fancy embroidery selling the look and making it seem like she was a demanding governess rather than a middle class housewife, justifying her riding crop.
New look established, Glynda left and locked the house before making her way down the empty street in a vague direction. She heard the bustling sound of a crowd, and made her way towards it believing that it was a market.
At the top of the street, a plaza opened up, crammed with people. A wooden platform had been erected in the middle of the plaza, and the wooden stalls that would normally be facilitating trade had been pushed up against the side of nearby buildings and used as informal stands for people to witness the unfolding events. Atop the platform, a gallows had been built, rope ending in a noose dangling ominously in the wind.
Glynda hid herself at the back of the crowd, face an impassive mask as she watched a line of crying figures were guided onto the gallows by armoured, bearded men. She saw a symbol, that of a bear, emblazoned on shields that had been strapped to their backs, and whilst it rang a bell in her mind she couldn't place it. Instead she focused on the soon to be hung, half looking like native Valean's whilst the other half had dusky skin that marked them from Vacuo, or from the borderlands between the two Kingdoms.
"On behalf of Lord Protectress Winter Schnee, sister of our good Queen Weiss Schnee, these dissidents are to be put to the death for crimes against the Kingdom of Atlas-Vale. Let this be a lesson to all those who consider supporting the traitorous Arc's claims, or to spy for the Sandbastards." An armoured guard warned, voice carrying over the silent crowd. The rest of the men went to work, putting the noose over the necks of the damned and tightening them.
Glynda felt her stomach lurch as a smaller figure was put onto a barrel first before the rope was tied.
"We're not spies! Please! I swear we're just merch-uhg!"
"Quiet bitch!" The leader of the executioners snarled, slamming an armoured fist into the woman's gut. "For the glory of Atlas-Vale!"
"For the glory of Atlas-Vale!" The crowd cheered weakly, as one of the guards pulled a lever and the sound of a hatch opening pierced the din. Glynda looked away quickly, but the sounds that followed echoed in her ears.
"A mandatory curfew is being put into place for the protection of Emerald Vale's noble residents. Anyone caught outside after the fifth bell toll after midday will be arrested and interrogated for subversive activities. This is for your safety and the security of the city. You will comply."
The consequence for not complying was clear to everyone present as corpses drifted from swinging, creaking rope. Glynda turned and snuck off, knowing that she would have to hurry if she was to help stop whatever madness that had gripped Winter Schnee.
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It was quiet and cold in Ansel. The halls, once loud with the sounds of merriment, were quiet and empty apart from scuttling rats and deathly silent servants. The corridors, once filled with the giggles of happy children and soft pitter patter of children's feet, were empty and dark, shadows looming even during the brightest days.
Juniper Arc knew that her eldest daughter and only son were dead. The rumours of a dragon attack, followed by full blown war between Atlas-Vale and Mistral and now a deadly, powerful storm that had ravaged the north and had frozen the sea between Atlas and Vale, cutting off messages and supplies.
Saphron was supposed to be returning from the celebrations held by Queen Weiss over her betrothal to the Mistrali Prince. How ironic that they were now at war with the very people they were supposed to be at peace with.
Jaune…she had no hope for her boy, even if he was supposedly lagging behind Saphron due to some sort of illness. Either way he would not have abandoned his sister if he couldn't help it, and would likely have caught up to her. They would've been together when they drowned in snow, which did not give her any consolation whatsoever.
Juniper had failed as a mother. She recognised that. Her eldest was dead. Her only son was dead. She would eventually pay for her failure to protect them. Until then, she would honour their memory by protecting what was left of her family.
A fire that had long deserted her rose in her, swelling like the tide before crashing against a beach. She stormed through the quiet, hallowed halls of Ansel, ignoring the distant sounds of a fiefdom preparing for war as she thundered towards her husbands study.
"I will not allow it!" Juniper declared as she stormed into her husband's work place, startling Nicholas from the papers he was hunched over. His eyes were tired, dark shadows resting underneath them. His skin as a sickly pale and he blinked as if he was dazed, by his eyes gained some focus and narrowed on her.
"What now Juniper?" Her husband demanded, voice tired and slow. "What is it you've come to demand of me now?"
"Our children's happiness." Juniper retorted, righteous fury sweeping away any concern she had at her husbands odd appearance and the blunt dismissiveness he gave her. He was always willing to listen to her, even when he was tired. This was a new, uncomfortable change. "I will not allow you to sell them off like baubles and trinkets in order to make allies!"
"What else will I sell them off for?" Nicholas snorted harshly, though even that seemed half-hearted. "Gold? Arms? Soldiers? I need the backing of the nobility if they are to support my claim to the throne."
"By the Gods Nicholas!" Juniper exclaimed. "You still intend to start a civil war? Over an insulting dismissal? King Jaqcues stole our son from us and cast you aside for Ironwood, and you did nothing then! What's changed you foolish, stubborn man?"
"You're right." Nicholas replied, eyes darkening and a fierce frown forming. "I did nothing back then. I should have. Mayhaps our son would still be alive. That is why I must take my old birthright. If I am King of Vale, then who can make demands of me? Who can order my son to be stolen from me, to be taken to their court against my will?"
"And what of Saphron?" Juniper snapped, frustration boiling and head starting to spin in confusion. Nicholas was acting like a completely different man, only caring about himself and his gain. "You act as if she isn't even yours, as if you never cradled her in your arms when she was a tiny babe and swore to murder any suitor that sniffed near her! Those were your words Nicky, your words! Why do you act as if you do not care about our eldest child?"
"She's dead." Nicholas roared harshly, slamming a fist onto his desk and causing the cluttered objects on top of it to rattle. "She's dead and she lost her value with her! If she hadn't died, she could've brought another major house onto my side."
"Your side." Juniper snarled harshly. "I will have no part in your doomed adventure, and you will not drag our surviving children down with you!"
"They will play their part and you will play yours woman!" Nicholas bellowed, standing suddenly. He towered over her, and even though his desk separated them she took a step back out of fear. "I'm starting to regret the day I took you for a wife. Tock wouldn't be so damn irritating. Get out. And remember that the only god I hold to is the Goddess of Light."
Juniper narrowed her eyes at him. That damned priestess! Of course! She was corrupting him!
"You used to believe in the Brother Gods as well." Juniper said as he sank back into his seat, the brief rage fading as quickly as it came, emboldening her to stand her ground against the tired, almost broken looking man that was supposed to be her husband. "What changed?"
"The false gods stole Jaune and Saph from us." Nicholas answered tiredly, voice almost monotonous but his eyes shining with unshed tears. "They are devils June, devils in the guise of gods. The Goddess can save us from them. Tock showed me."
"Showed you what Nicky?" Juniper asked uncomfortably, her husband's sudden, wild mood swings leaving her perpetually on edge around him.
"She showed me a witch, a servant of the devils. She caused that storm June. She killed our son, our daughter. I will never forget those eyes, they were blazing, as if aflame with ice. She showed me the truth about the brothers, how they usurped the Goddess and enslaved humanity. By becoming King of Vale, I can free us all from bondage by converting us to Her Light. I can save us June. I just have to get rid of the Schnee."
"You've gone mad." Juniper murmured softly, eyes wide with horror as she regarded the husk that was once her husband. "Your grief has driven you insane."
"Oh I wudn't be saying that Lady Arc." A rough, oozing voice said, and Juniper jumped and turned to see the priestess that had apparently converted her Nicky, Tock, smiling at her with too sharp teeth. "More likes I opened his eyes to the truth. It only took me a few months, but he resisted harder than I thought he wud."
"I knew you corrupted him!" Juniper snarled, approaching the other woman with curled fists. The priestess clicked her teeth and drew a dagger from out of nowhere, making Juniper stumble before staggering back as she approached.
"I nevah said I corrupted him, did I? Only opened his eyes to the truth." The woman drawled, feral grin growing as she gently brushed the dagger against Juniper's throat. "A few days ago he wud tell me to leave you be. What's he doin now Lady Arc?"
Juniper glanced behind her. Nicholas was staring at them blankly, as if he wasn't even there.
"See that? He dun't need you anymore. He's already got his young off you. And if you aren't careful, he'll replace you." The priestess was practically purring, breath hot against Juniper's face before pulling away suddenly, leaving a faint red mark against Juniper's neck. "Now scram. I have to help your 'usband get ready for his big speech."
Juniper bade a hasty retreat, shook by the ghostly feeling of steel against her neck. Before shutting the door, she glanced behind her, seeing Tock's arrogant smirk and Nicholas' worrying look of complete and utter blankness.
Then the dagger was waved in her direction in a shooing gesture and she slammed the door shut, taunting laughter following her down the hallways as she fled to her cold marriage bed, tears streaming down her face and a feeling of wrongness pervading her every sense.
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Glynda frowned as she glanced at the locked gate leading to the Upper City. She hadn't thought the lockdown would affect internal movement, which was why a curfew had also been implemented. Stopping citizens from travelling to other parts of the city on top of a curfew seemed…extreme.
She sighed and leaned against a nearby wall, the long walk through the Middle Tier having exhausted her. Emerald Vale was but a speck on a map, but in reality it was a massive urban centre with a myriad of criss-crossing streets and alleys that led to dead ends or long winded circuits that left you walking in circles.
It was only thanks to the sight of the distant battlements of the Upper Tier that meant she had been able to stumble there in the first place. They seemed larger than the outer wall that guarded the Lower Tier of the city and marked its limits, but now that she was there it was obvious they were much shorter, only appearing larger due to the fact they had been constructed higher up Emerald Mountain.
Yet another fact about Emerald Vale the maps failed to reveal. It was built on top of a mountain.
It was smaller compared to other mountains she had seen, but that did not change the fact it was a mountain. No wonder her feet hurt so much, adding onto the aching pains she had earned due to her fast, hard ride south.
Glynda blinked as she saw two armoured soldiers marching towards her. Then she realised that perhaps she had been staring at Emerald Vale's innermost defences for a little bit too long.
"State your identity and business here citizen." One of the men intoned, voice echoing due to the large metal helm he wore. If push came to she could use her magic to kill them, but she would use diplomacy first.
"Good day soldiers." Glynda nodded politely. "I am Guinevere Goodwin. I am searching for my ward, a young boy named Martin. He managed to slip away from me at the nearby marketplace, the executions scared him."
"Keep a better eye on your ward in future." One of the soldiers said, before shooing her with his spear. "Now leave, we haven't seen a child around here since that urchin boy tried pickpocketing us, the brave little bastard."
With their pieces said the soldiers turned, and Glynda obeyed their order, not willing to test patience. As she made her way down she felt something grab her had and pull her into an alley, and before she could strike her assailant with her riding crop she took notice of the fact it was a small child, a boy judging by his hair and looks, covered in dirt and giving her a nervous smile.
"Sorry about this milady." The boy said politely. "I didn't want the guards to see me. They chased me off not too long ago and I heard them talking about taking my right hand for tryin' to be a thief. You have magic don't you?"
"How can you tell?" Glynda asked curiously, masking her surprise easily. After the things she had learnt and experienced over the years, very little could surprise her anymore.
"I can see it if I concentrate. You're surrounded by fire milady." The boy answered, and Glynda pondered the answer with a frown. Magic had numerous arts and branches, and from what she could remember some could track down magic users and drain their magic to supplement their own. It was either that, or they could amplify others' magic. Or both.
"I am magic, and so are you I believe." Glynda said after a few moments thought. "Though I am wondering why you dragged me here in the first place."
"You need help? Finding your ward or something? I'll help you find it if you teach me magic."
"You cannot use it naturally?"
"Should I?"
Glynda shook her head, even if convention stated she should do the opposite. It was well known amongst the magical community that the only reason they existed was that their ancestors were somehow magical, and their knowledge and power passed onto their descendants. Obviously magic had to start from somewhere, but a Newblood hadn't been found since Glynda's great-grandmother had been disinherited by her noble relatives after being ousted as a witch by and Inquisitor.
"I was just curious." Glynda said, before sighing. "Though I appreciate the offer I cannot accept it. I am not seeking a lost ward, rather I am trying to get into the Upper City in order to try and aid Winter Schnee. I fear a dark power beyond her reckoning is taking advantage of the recent war and conflict to try and corrupt her. That cannot happen."
"Why didn't ya say so!" The boy exclaimed quietly, shaking her arm as hard as he could, which came across as a soft tugging. Glynda felt her worry rise when she realised she could see the boys' ribs. "I know all the hidey-holes and back alley's in the city! Why do you want to get into the Upper City if you're after the Schnee though. The Lady Protectress and her husband live in the Governor's Palace."
"Where is that?" Glynda asked and the boy pouted at her.
"I ain't telling unless you promise to train me."
"I promise to train you." Glynda retorted, rolling her eyes before lifting her pinkie. "I swear it."
The boy grinned and reached up, wrapping his pinkie around hers, before grabbing her hand and leading her deeper into the alley.
"The Governor's Palace is built on the Jade Island." The boy explained as he dragged her along behind her. "But everyone calls it Wanker Island because all the posh wankers live there."
"Language." Glynda scolded, swatting the back of the boys head lightly with the Disciplinarian. The boy yelped and rubbed it, muttering under his breathe for a minute so.
"That's mean."
"I don't care."
"That's cruel."
"I also don't care."
The boy scowled and huffed, but he didn't stop leading her towards an unknown destination. As the silence grew, Glynda decided to break it, wanting to know more about her apparently new mentee.
"What is your name?" She asked, making the boy turn suddenly. "Mine is Glynda Goodwitch."
"I'm Robin. Don't have a second name, milady." The boy replied, and Glynda glanced up at the sight of the symbol that sparked fear in the hearts of any magic user.
The spoked wheel of the Inquisition.
It was a wanted poster, with a caricature witch and a hefty reward. A question bubbled inside her.
"Why were you so bold revealing yourself to me?" Glynda asked. "Any sane magical user knows to fear the Inquisition."
"Don't need to tell me that milady." Robin replied. "An older boy who used to look after me got dragged off by them in the dead of night. Haven't seen him since. I don't need to be scared of them anymore though. Schnee had every Mistrali in the city put to death days ago."
Glynda blinked and the worry inside her surged. Was it already too late to prevent the Enemy from corrupting the eldest Schnee sibling?
The boy stopped murmuring before turning to a small alcove and moving some rotted boxes, revealing a hole that stared into with a thousand yard look.
The smell emanating from it was all too familiar.
"Don't tell me…"
"Sorry milady." Robin said apologetically, though he had a smug grin on his face. "Easiest way to get to the Governor's Palace that doesn't involve swimming across the Green River. It doesn't look like much, but a kid I knew tried swimming in it and got dragged away by the current like he was some sorta doll and he drowned against the metal things. Another kid tried helpin' him, but the guards shot him full of arrows because they thought he was trying to sabotage something."
"Don't apologise Robin." Glynda grinned. "You'll be coming with me. As my new apprentice of course."
"O-Of course." The boy stammered, face paling drastically. "I really wish I listened to Old Tom when he was telling us about his secretest hidey-holes instead of picking my nose."
"Well the past is in the past." Glynda said, using the Disciplinarian to smack the wooden mantle of a nearby window and tearing off her bonnet to set alight the makeshift torch. "Stay up here for a moment."
"Gladly, milady!" The boy sighed, holding the torch for her as she lowered herself into the cesspit once more. It fell up to above her knees, and she glanced up at the skinny, small boy above her.
"Hand me the torch then climb on my back." Glynda sighed, thoroughly done with everything. "It would be quiet embarrassing if you drowned to death in human waste."
"Thank you milady." Robin replied, muttering a quiet "I think" under his breath as he lowered himself onto her back, legs wrapping around her waist and tiny arms clutched around her neck like an unthreatening vice. "We need to go forward then take a left, then a right, then we need to squeeze through some bars and then take another left."
"Tell me when I need to make said manoeuvres." Glynda said as she began to trudge through the indescribably brown liquid.
"Well I don't know when we actually need to make these mano-thingys." Robin said quietly. "I just know that's the route we need to take if what Old Tom said was right. I haven't broken into the Governor's Palace before ya know?"
Glynda sighed, feeling the last vestiges of her sanity and hope fade as the repugnant smell of flowing excrement rose up her nose and brushed against her skin.
"Fuck's sake."
"Milady swore!"