The walk to the faculty room where the meeting would take place was filled with a tense silence. Adam and Winter would take turns glaring at each other when the other they thought the other party was unaware, Ironwood doing his best to pointedly ignore the clash of wills beside him, while Amiya remained admirably stoic throughout. Goodwitchs' eyes kept flitting back and forth between the Faunus and Atlas contingent, restraining herself from lecturing the two. Ozpin was tempted to let out an exasperated sigh, if only to break the silence.
It felt as if the only one who was completely at ease was Rosmontis, who had taken to simply recording all of them with a scroll, a blank look on her face.
It was under this atmosphere that they arrived at their destination, and if anything, that only made the tension between them worse.
Three tables where arranged in a triangle, and Ozpin, Ironwood and Amiya took their seats, their respective lieutenants to remain standing behind them, then a moment of silence that felt more akin to the calm before the storm.
Ozpin cleared his throat.
"Well, as sudden as this was, I'm rather glad you agreed to meeting with us, Mi- Queen Amiya."
Nodding, the rabbit faunus smiled back at the older man.
"It was sudden, but I thought it would be better to hash out any issues right away. The more our reassured the neighboring kingdoms are, the less conflict created for us at Rhodes Island."
"Rhodes Island?"
Amiya's smile seemed to widen, just a bit. "The Kingdom of Rhodes Island, to be specific. It hasn't been established formally yet, but that's what Menagerie will be called going forwards."
"Kuo Kuana to Babel, Menagerie to Rhodes Islands, those are big changes being made," remarked Ironwood. "It's not a simple thing, to change the name of a place, let alone a settlement as large as Menagerie. It's questionable if it's even necessary at all." The delivery was blasé, as though it were an offhanded remark, but she saw it for the challenge it was.
She acknowledged the general with a nod of her head. "We are aware of the costs involved in terms of mapping, administration and economics, but it is a necessary step forward," she asserted.
"How so?"
There was a pause as she decided on the words to say. There was a message she wanted to convey to them, but she couldn't go about it too fervently - the wrong tone of voice, a bit of miscommunication, and she could risk greatly alienating them, if not turning them against her entirely. She hadn't a true measure of their characters, but neither did they hers. Lines had to be established but without jeopardizing what would be necessary alliances.
"Menagerie was supposed to be a reward, for the participation of Faunus in the Great War," she began. "But even then, it was at most a token gesture. Even the name - a 'Menagerie' for the Faunus. Like they were animals to be penned."
Ironwood remained silent and impassive, though he did not disagree with the statement. Ozpin frowned, and the headmaster set down his coffee mug.
"And yet a vast number of the Faunus have chosen to live there, and the name Menagerie has gone unchanged since it was first given to the Faunus," said Ozpin, his tone of voice probing.
"That's not proof of acceptance, that's evidence to how badly Faunus have been treated as whole. Despite Faunus' contribution during the Great War, and the Faunus Rights Revolution that followed, the Faunus were forced to be content with scraps. To be treated so abhorrently that basic decency and a home to call our own were seen as an acceptable reward, even if it should have served a beginning, and even if the home given to us was an insult in itself. Changing the Menagerie's name is an acknowledgement of this."
Ozpin nodded in agreement. Her words had merit to him, and in a way he was glad that she took this initiative - as he recalled, even back then the Faunus leadership had considered the outcome of the Great War as a slap to the face, and while the revolution was considered a success in Remnants' history books, it still fell far short of the result the Faunus truly desired.
"So, with that out of the way, there are more important matters I'd like to discuss."
Everyone sensed the intent in her words. This was the true reason why she was here. Sitting upright, he nodded. "Understood. Glynda, if you could record the proceedings please?"
"Yes sir. Recording now."
Amiya nodded, and then began outlining the plans for Rhodes Island moving forwards. Seconds passed, then minutes. When an hour had passed, the atmosphere of the room had shifted drastically. With every bullet point she covered, Ozpin could feel his mind turning. The things she was suggesting, what she planned-!
He looked towards Ironwood. Gone was the stony expression. Given how wide his eyes were, he was feeling similarly.
So lost in his attempt to process what he'd heard, he nearly missed the young Queen's closing statement.
"I'm hoping to implement these changes by the end of the year, with the cooperation from Beacon Academy and Atlas."
Silence descended as her words sank in. Ozpin used the moment to distract himself with coffee, while James leaned into his seat.
Peering from his mug, he observed the reactions of the others in the room.
Rosmontis remained unchanged, likely because she was expecting this, which made Adam Taurus' smirk just a tad bit more juvenile in his eyes.
Gylnda on the other hand, while surprised initially, had settled into a more contemplative look. Good, if she was hashing out plans to accommodate what would undoubtedly the most important undertaking on Remnant since the Great War now, then he'd have less of a headache later.
He could already sense all the paper work that would be on his desk in the future, and he shuddered in horror.
Contrastingly, James looked at the young Queen with a gleam in his eyes, and daresay, excited at the prospect of all the work to be done.
Ozpin always suspected it, but there was really, truly something wrong with that man.
The meeting ran for a good three hours longer than that, before they adjourned, agreeing that right now was not the best time to comprehensively go through the details of what was a complicated and time-consuming matter.
A second meeting was planned in a months time, in order to lay the groundwork for the future. This would give them time to gather the needed data and information to hold a proper discussion. An agreement was made and Ozpin escorted the Queen and her companions on their way to the wing in Beacon she was to be housed in - the entire area had been retrofitted to serve as an embassy for the duration of her stay in Vale.
Another oversight that would have to be addressed he supposed - Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo all had their own embassy in Vale. With Rhodes Island vying for Kingdom status, they would need one for their own now, if nothing else because Beacon really did need those rooms being renovated.
"I'm impressed, Queen Amiya."
The girl looked up at him, surprised.
"I will admit, I had reservations about you. First because of your intentions, then because of your age, but your vision for the future is quite impressive. Not something dreamt up by a naïve young girl, nor a tyrant aiming for power."
"And yet Ironwood still does not trust me," she pointed out. "But that's understandable. Though officially no longer active, the White Fang have been a thorn in Atlas' side for nearly a decade."
He nodded. James would not be too accommodating towards her, though... "You did impress him know? Whatever reservations he has about your intent, at the very least he will be taking you seriously. Though the matter of the White Fang will have to be addressed at some point, regardless of your intentions-"
"I've inherited the sins of White Fang. I am aware. Even if its former members help bring about a utopia, there must be justice for their victims."
Once again, a startling display of maturity from a girl who was no older than a second year Beacon student.
He didn't ask how justice would be dispensed - he doubted she would answer him. This was an internal matter that had no need for his input, but her acknowledgement of the crimes committed by the White Fang meant that she was not going pretend they never happened. If justice were truly served, then that would go a long way to appease those wronged by the White Fang. An indication that her goals were truly meant for all Faunus, and not simply for the White Fang collective.
Still, there was another thing of note in her words.
"'Inherited'? So you were not responsible for their actions directly?"
The Faunus girl smiled, the amusement seeping into her tone catching him off guard.
"Headmaster Ozpin, I've only led the White Fang for half a year. Less than that if we're being honest."
Once again he was caught by surprise. Adam made a small choking sound while Rosmontis let out a small giggle.
"I... see?"
Really, what was he supposed to say to that? He had been under the assumption that if this girl was not a puppet, then at the very least she had led the Fang for quite some time, despite her age. It would make sense - Adam Taurus was a teen when he rose to prominence, but when he was even younger he had been leading operations against SDC. According to her however, she had been only been leading the organization for half a year, and in that amount of time, the direction and changes she took them in were astounding, bordering on miraculous even.
"No Headmaster Ozpin, you don't. You really, truly don't."
The first words Adam had spoken his entire time here where sympathetic, and exasperated.
The next day, Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood were joined by Qrow, who had been observing from afar through the recording of Glynda, in Ozpin's office as they discussed yesterdays events.
Swirling his canister, Qrow spoke to no one in particular. "So, that was definitely a thing. Where the hell did this girl come from then?"
"Credit where it's due. She has a clear goal in mind and the strategical outline is terrific. If she could prove she was trustworthy, then I would have no problem backing her fully."
"I sense a 'but' here, Jimmy."
The general steepled his fingers, a concerned look on his face. "But there's too much about her we don't know. She's a total unknown - all my spies in the White Fang have no idea where she's from, or what position she held prior to her crowning. It's as if she appeared from thin air."
"'zat so..." muttered Qrow. He agreed, the Queen was far too suspicious to trust so soon, no matter how noble her goals, not when she might be serving as a chess piece to another player on the board. A player they have yet to see react to her appearance.
"And yet we can't be seen as not helping her," said Glynda. The woman sat where Amiya did earlier, going through a recording of the meeting diligently. "Her plans will be made public within the week, and if we were to reject them, we risk alienating Faunus from all over the world."
"Which could be just what Salem wants. Damn it," said Ironwood with a huff. "If she really is an agent of Salem, I'll admit this is a masterful move. If we assist her with her goals, we risk playing into her hands for some unknown goal, but if we don't, we incite the Faunus, possibly fueling tensions that could result in a rise of violence across all Kingdoms from the Faunus, at the very least."
"Damned if we do, damned if we don't."
Ozpin, who had been thinking it over the implications silently, spoke up.
"And yet, that we are in this position also speaks about how badly we have mishandled the Faunus situation."
All eyes turned to him, as he stood up, looking down to grounds of Beacon bellow, where students where bustling with activity. Among them were Faunus students, and though he tried to put it down as much as he was able, he was aware of the discrimination they faced, even in the halls of his own academy.
"Queen Amiya's plans on paper are purely beneficial, not just to the Faunus but to everyone as a whole in the future. All it would take is true equality for Faunus everywhere - that we are forced into this action by someone that might be serving our immortal enemy should be a mark of shame on our parts, even if its merely a plot to further their goals. The fact is, they would not be in a position to force us into acting if the maltreatment of Faunus was handled earlier."
At that, the other occupants in the room looked like they had tasted something bitter - Ironwood in particular. The man was by no means a bigot; he was someone that placed merit above all else, and he welcomed anyone of ability to join his ranks. He was also a General of Atlas, and the Headmaster of its academy. That meant that regardless of his personal stance, he was forced to look away as prejudice and racism ran rampant all around him, all for the greater good.
White hair, and sneering blue eyes flashed through his mind, accompanied by condescendingly polite voice. He ground his teeth at the memory. Perhaps he had looked away too many times now, if an enemy could use the equality of a race to put him in check so neatly.
"For now, we will have to play it by ear. There's nothing more we can do for the moment. We have no information and they have the initiative - we will need the latter to act, and the former to know how. I trust you all know what to do."
They all nodded at Ozpin's words. There was a lot of work to be done in the coming days.
Five days after she had arrived, the excitement around Amiya's presence had finally died down, until that is, the evening news dropped a bombshell that was felt first in Vale, then throughout all of Remnant.
TO ESTABLISH RECOGNITION OF RHODES ISLAND, FORMERLY MENAGERIE, AND ITS LEADERSHIP VIA POLITICAL TIES WITH ITS NEIGHBOURING KINGDOMS
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FIFTH KINGDOM DEDICATED TO ALL FAUNUS
TO ESTABLISH A FIFTH HUNTSMAN ACADEMY IN RHODES ISLAND TO SERVE AS ANOTHER LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST THE GRIMM
TO END THE SYSTEMATIC AND CULTURAL MISTREAMENT OF FAUNUS AROUND THE WORLD
TO MAKE AWARE TO ALL THAT FAUNUS ACROSS THE WORLD ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE QUEEN AMIYA