No reviews are being answered this time around, guys. I want to talk some things over. As you know, I recently completely broke off the stuff with Nerdy, for reasons I won't divulge here. This means I also left the Discord server, and I will no longer be active there. It has become somewhat difficult for me to write the content you all love, as it just reminds me of Nerdy…In the wrong way. I want to continue it, however, but I will need time for it to adapt and rethink certain things.
In the meantime, I began to work on another story to help take my mind off things. I won't advertise it here or something like that, but if you wish to talk with me over at Discord, my Discord name and tag are Void Devil#7199. I will answer all questions. I also began to slowly build up a new Discord server, but it is fairly small and in its infancy. If you wish to know more, DM me. There are many things to talk about and go over, all things considered, and I once again apologize for the long delays.
As both Ozpin and Salem stood in the former's office, they arranged a chessboard before them. However, this time, they were both playing with the blacks as the white pieces stood against them. Ozpin did this when fighting Salem, but not anymore. The white pieces represented Jacques, namely the King. As for them, their King was Jaune, and his Queen his wives. Roman was his Bishop, Junior a Rook, and Ash a Knight, and on the other side, he had Cardin as a Rook, Sun as a Knight, and Ren as his Bishop. His pawns were made up of Ozpin, Ironwood, Qrow, Glynda, Winter Schnee, and Ozpin was even able to enlist the help of Tai in case of anything. An incomplete, yet strong set.
They had unity, but Jacques had the numbers. His pieces were made out of private mercenaries and lawyers to protect him, but if things got too out of hand, a checkmate was in sight. But there were issues. One of his pawns and his queen were not his pieces, but rather, his prisoners. Willow and Whitley. When pushed too far, when all of his other pieces fall, Jacques might eliminate them or use them as hostages to protect himself.
This is why they need to capture those pieces first, remove Jacques' ace, and then let everything else fall apart by itself. Ozpin's scroll buzzed, and he checked it. It was Jaune, saying he sent Ironwood the message a little over ten minutes ago, and as if by magic, his terminal lit up with a video call from Jacques Schnee himself. Luckily, Ozpin still had enough fight left in him to pull the legal bullshit that will make Jacques crawl out of his hole and come into HIS yard.
Salem put a hand on his shoulder. "You can do this, Ozma."
"I just hope I can resist until the end, Salem." He said, then with a firm finger, he began the call, Salem going out of the camera's view. "Good day, Mister Schnee."
"Headmaster Ozpin … Can you explain to me why I heard that my daughter is, and correct me if I am wrong, married?" Jacques went straight to the point, which wasn't unusual for him. His voice was calm but Ozpin could see it in his eyes. Anger. This was something HE DID NOT approve of, something that likely interfered with his plans, and because of that, he wanted to see it removed. But Ozpin knew that, at the end of the day, it was him who would be removed.
It was the following day after Weiss finally confessed and accepted her role as one of Jaune's wives, and currently, they were all, the Adam and Eve council, minus a few members, waiting in a classroom provided by Glynda after classes were done. Yesterday, late at night, they were informed by Ozpin that Jacques took the bait. It was a heated argument, but Ozpin remained cool even in the face of threats with legal actions, uneven and inflated Dust prices - you name it. Jacques apparently tried a lot to get things to go easy, but Ozpin remained strong.
Like it or not, Weiss was also a Valean Citizen now, meaning Valean law applied to her. Jacques could not take action by himself without causing an international incident, which he could not afford, meaning he was coming here. But their plans changed quite a bit.
An old army general once said no plan survives contact with the enemy, and they were right. Jaune was constantly grinding his gears, trying to think and put together plans on the fly. Currently, they are waiting. Ironwood notified them from all the way in Atlas that Jacques took off with his entire family, and more. Bodyguards, AKA hired muscle. Potential ex-huntsmen as well. But they had an advantage.
Trying to forcefully take Weiss would be a bad idea, as it'd draw in too much negative attention towards him. He was trying to intimidate them, to scare them into submission. They won't give. However, Ironwood said he'd begin moving on his front, per the plan. He will begin to slowly freeze Jacques' more unknown accounts, but what they needed to do was get Willow Schnee on their side so she can secure the main funds of the SDC in case Jacques tried something with those.
But Jaune was aware it wouldn't be easy. They'd need to somehow get Jacques away from Willow, knowing full well that he didn't become CEO of the SDC being some lucky punk. He was smart and cunning. They needed to be careful.
Eventually, Jaune's scroll buzzed, and he received a message from Emerald, who was keeping watch around Beacon. Jacques was here. He saw Weiss grow more anxious once she realized it, but he took her hand in his. "Don't worry, Weiss. Everything will be fine. Trust me." He told her, trying to calm her down.
"Just … Make sure no one gets hurt. I know what my father is capable of." She replied, voicing her worries. Where diplomacy would fail, Jacques was likely to use his hired muscle. But Jaune had that covered as well.
Cinder and Salem were pretty much experts in the domain, so they were going to work directly with Qrow and Tai to ensure no such thing as an assassin got in. Direct goons, with not much brain and more muscle, were going to be easily handled by Glynda and the other pros. He covered his angles as best as he could. It was now time to face the challenge before them. Taking a deep breath, Weiss and Jaune proceeded to go to Ozpin's office, where Jacques was likely to wait.
"I won't repeat myself again, Ozpin. Where. Is. My. Daughter?" Jacques repeated himself again, being surrounded by two bodyguards on either side of him. On Ozpin's side was Glynda and additionally a surprise showing of one Summer Rose, all of them facing the corrupt business owner. Jacques' wife and son were behind them, listening and observing. Ozpin in turn observed them, to see any reactions. The boy kept a calm and posh look, as likely instructed by his father, which didn't give Ozpin a lot, but the mother was another story. She looked uncomfortable, and a bit woozy. She drank before coming here, but she still seemed to be lucid enough.
"I already messaged your son-in-law to come here with her. They should be here at any moment." Ozpin made sure to refer to Jaune by his new relationship with Jacques to see his thoughts. The increasingly spiteful look in Jacques' eyes in reaction to that seemed to answer Ozpin's questions.
"Please, I would appreciate it if you could refrain from addressing that man as my in-law." Jacques tried to remain polite given the situation. "I personally do not recognize the marriage, nor do I approve of it."
"Fair is fair, Mister Schnee, but mind if I inquire your wife's opinion on the matter?" Ozpin asked, and he noticed Willow perk up, but Jacques cut in swiftly.
"Her opinion is shared with mine." He replied.
Ozpin could tell he was lying. "Not even allowing your wife to talk, are you, Jacques?"
"Hmm. Well, I believe there is little to nothing we can discuss until they arrive." The elevator dinged. "Just in time."
Jaune and Weiss walked into the room, Weiss making sure to remain close to Jaune to try to keep him confident. However, Jaune already steeled his nerves about the situation. As he entered the room, he looked to his side seeing Weiss' younger brother and her mother, both looking at him in different ways. Still, his sight was set on Jacques who turned to them, he could see the gaze that man threw at him. He was being sized up. Ozpin extended his hand to some seats next to him, which the two of them took, but Jacques was swift to make a request.
"Can I request that my daughter be sat next to me?" He requested, but Weiss also replied.
"I choose where I should be, father." She took the seat prepared next to Jaune and close to Ozpin, Summer standing behind her. Jacques didn't seem to enjoy that little act of rebellion, but Weiss would not crack under the pressure.
"Well, now that the subjects of our talks are here, let us begin, shall we?" Ozpin said. "However, I do stress that neither party should make any reckless decisions." A silent threat was thrown at Jacques' bodyguards, who were carrying weapons, as well as their boss. Physical intimidation was ill-advised.
"Weiss … " Jacques wasted no time addressing his daughter, even noticing the ring on her finger. The rings on both of their fingers. "Care to explain yourself? Because from what I heard from Headmaster Ozpin so far, it sounded like you carelessly got drunk like your mother and got committed to this boy here."
Ouch. Not even hiding his wife's issue, that much Jaune got immediately.
Weiss calmly pushed past his jab at his own wife. "It is exactly as it sounds, father. During a celebration, I and some other women got abbreviated quite severely, to such an extent the next day we all woke up with no memories of the previous night's events. What we did find, however, were the rings on our fingers, and an official marriage certificate which attested me as Weiss Arc-Schnee, wife of Jaune Arc."
"I see. So the details were not exaggerated." Jacques said slowly. "You disappoint me, Weiss. When you defied me to come here, I didn't expect a couple of things. One, that you'd actually defeat that Arma Gigas captured by your grandfather, and two, that you'd do something so foolish and damaging to your image."
He had her fight such a Grimm? Jaune didn't know about that, but seeing how Weiss traced a hand over her scar, he figured that was how she got it. What kind of man was he to throw his daughter at such a monster? "What can I say?" A rare smile crept on Weiss' face. "I am free now."
"What?" Jacques fixed his gaze on them, narrowing his eyes and letting his cold glare fall on them. "What do you mean by 'free'? You were never under any kind of arrest or anything." He asked with confusion.
"Free from your controlling grasp." She continued, using a more aggressive tone this time towards him. Her mother widened her eyes seeing Weiss stand up to her father, and her brother seemed equally surprised. "Sorry to inform you, but I won't be returning to Atlas with you if that was your intention. Instead, I will prefer being here, with my HUSBAND."
Jacques took a few seconds to process her words, seconds in which everyone waited for his reaction. But then a chuckle was heard from him, who then turned his gaze to Jaune. "The sole son of the Arc House … " Shit, he knew of the Arc name's weight it seemed. "Quite the catch, I must say, as he is not bad to the eye, but at the same time, he is not good enough for you. Sure, his family is renowned and respected, but they are far from nobility or being called truly rich. A family of knights is, at the most generous level, a very minor nobility, the bottom of the food chain."
"And why are you alluding to my family as if we were nobility?" Jaune asked, getting Jacques' attention.
"Because my point is, boy, that your family has nothing." He continued. "You are not good enough for my daughter, point and case, and this entire marriage is a clear mistake. So why not do the only available and morally right choice and divorce?"
"Oh please-" Jaune squeezed Weiss' hand a bit, signaling to her to let him speak now. She was obviously nervous from that, but he knew what he was doing. Jacques believed he was no one? Well, he did have some words against that.
"Funny you speak of what is morally right, you know?" Jaune said, which got Jacques to eye him closely. "Seeing how many illegal work practices you engage in."
"Are you accusing me of being corrupt?" Jacques asked slowly, dangerously so.
"Please, it's common knowledge." Jaune continued, dealing Jacques quite the low blow. "What I am saying is that right here, right now, you are trapped. Think about it, do you really think two bodyguards can stand against a room full of Huntsmen and Huntresses?"
"So you are threatening me?" Jacques blinked, slight confusion settling in. "I have to say, you do show more of a spine than I originally gave you credit for, but it seems you lack the use of your head. Just for those threats, I can make sure you get persecuted by the-"
"Father?" Whitley said, getting Jacques' attention. "Forgive me for cutting you off, but … He is not wrong."
"What do you mean?" Jacques asked back.
"I think Mister Arc means that keeping up a strong act is well above your league." Ozpin antagonized him further. "Strong-arming us is useless. Not to mention everything in this office is being recorded."
"Proof in my favor!" Jacques claimed.
"Not ours," Willow said. "Theirs."
"Oh, what has gotten into all of you?" Jacques was slowly losing his composure. "Know what? I won't entertain this charade any longer! Silla, take Weiss, and let's-"
"One more word, Jacques," Ozpin said, and to Jacques' horror, he looked up with Ozpin's cane between his eyes. His bodyguard went on guard, but this made Glynda and Summer also get on theirs. "No matter your power, at the current time, it means nothing. I won't allow you to kidnap one of my students under my care!"
"K-kidnap?! She is MY daughter! I have all the right to take her home if I think so!" Jacques argued. "It is you who are kidnapping her!"
"Not if I choose to be here," Weiss added. She finally saw what Jaune did, he was trying to get Jacques to lose his cool, to destabilize him. Although there were security cameras in Ozpin's office, they were currently turned off. They were bluffing, and Jacques was falling for their bluff. "The situation becomes quite complex."
"And this is not Atlas," Willow added, and for a second, her face seemed to light up. "And since she joined Beacon, Weiss is a Valean citizen, meaning that we, who only have Atlasian Citizenship, cannot interfere with Valean law."
Jacques tightened his fist. "Fine then!" He said, then he turned around. "But I will remain in Vale, for now. Come on!" And so, he stormed off towards the hotel with his wife and son, but not with his daughter. Once he was out, taking his bodyguards with him, everyone seemed more relaxed, and Weiss, especially, smiled and seemed very much relieved.
"How are you, Weiss?" Jaune looked at her.
"Standing up to my father like that was … Very satisfying." She said, "But as I looked at my mother, I could also see something in her eyes. Hope. I think she was soberer than ever at that moment."
"And soon she won't need to drink anymore," Ozpin said. "Now that Jacques is hellbent to go against us, he will be less attentive to things in Atlas, which should allow Ironwood to run his own part of the plan."
"But now WE need to proceed with phase 2," Jaune said. "We need to get Willow away from Jacques and secure her to our side, and with any luck, she can get Whitley to safety away from him as well."
"I don't know how we will get to Mother, though." Weiss thought about what came next and was worried. "She is mostly drunk all the time, meaning that the few times we get to talk with her will not be remembered."
"The only piece of the puzzle left to figure out," Jaune muttered, letting out a sigh. "We will think about it more later. For now, this has been a stressful event. Let's go to our rooms and relax for a bit. More is to come, after all."
"This is the LEAST relaxing thing ever!" Jaune was currently fuming, together with the others in the room, over something their criminal trio did. "Roman, tell me again, what made you think this was a good plan?"
"I mean, you need to get close to Miss Schnee here, right?" Roman said over the scroll. "Besides, it was not exactly a complex and hard scheme. Her dick of a husband keeps more than half the bodyguards for himself, so it was easy for Neo and Ash to sneak in and get her."
"The issue here, Roman … " Weiss said, slowly at first. "IS THAT YOU KIDNAPPED MY MOTHER!"
"Well, if you want to be technical-"
"Roman!" Jaune shouted.
"Look, did you have any other ideas? Besides, the wence-"
"Watch your mouth, that is my mother you are referring to!" Weiss threatened.
"The WOMAN is smashed. Seriously, Junior had a look and he knows a hard-drinking session when he sees one. He also said she must have drunk at least 3 types of alcohol judging by the smell alone! Seriously, girl, you need to get your mother some help."
"Easier said than done! What will she think now?!" Weiss was starting to panic. "We don't even know what she THINKS about this entire marriage, let alone her personal opinion about Jaune! But now she will most likely find out about his less legal connections, meaning that everything we have been trying to do is going to-"
"Weiss, please, breathe." Jaune tried to get Weiss to stop and calm herself. "Stress will only make things harder. We cannot change what was done, but we CAN make full use of it."
"Use it? How?" Weiss took a deep breath.
"Well, honesty is key, so … I say we go and have a talk with her." Jaune proposed.
"Talk with her?" Weiss echoed. "Are you serious? That will only make it seem we had a direct hand in everything!"
"Relax, if anything, I will jump in to help clear things up!" Roman added. "Come on, what other options do we have anymore?"
"None." Jaune said. "If this goes poorly, then everything will go downhill."
Jaune and Weiss walked into a warehouse. They didn't waste time in the main storage area moving through a door and then down some stairs. They went straight towards Roman's private room. This was Roman's little hideout, but he made sure to have it furnished. It was not that bad, cozy even, but then they saw their target on the sofa, her hands bound behind her back with duct tape. She looked towards them, her face confused. "Weiss? What is going on?" She asked.
"It's ok, mother, everything will be alright. We didn't plan for this, but … " Weiss tried to say, but Jaune went ahead and undid Willow's bindings. The woman was dressed in her nightwear which consisted of a light-blue nightgown and some black underwear, but no sooner did Jaune undid her bindings did she grab and pulled a blanket over herself.
"We apologize for this, Ma'am." Jaune tried to be polite. Roman walked in as well, offering a bow of his hat.
"Roman Torchwick?" Willow said, eyeing the man. Then, she looked at Jaune. "It looks like you do have some interesting connections."
"We didn't tell Roman to do this!" Weiss said quickly.
"That they did not. I assure you, Ma'am, I acted on my own accord and whim." Roman was relaxed as he gladly took all the blame. "Their plans were faulty, so I thought they could use this little chance."
"Plans? What plans? Weiss, what is this man talking about?" Willow asked again, looking at her daughter.
"Mother, I … I realize I have not been the greatest of daughters, and this is not the time or place either of us imagined this happening in, but I want to say that … I'm sorry, first of all." Weiss said, which confused Willow, but at the same time, she seemed … sad? "I never stopped to think WHY you drink- No. I did. I knew WHY you were drowning yourself in alcohol, but I didn't blame it on the reason, but on the victim."
"Weiss?"
"I blamed you for everything, and without wanting to, made things worse. I see that now, as Jaune and my … sister-wives, helped me understand." Weiss continued, going closer to her mother. "I am sorry … for everything."
"I… Winter also said… similar things… some time before … " Willow said, looking down. "But you don't need to apologize to me, I-"
"No!" Weiss shouted, launching herself to her mother and hugging her tightly. "It is MY fault that things got worse! Instead of trying to be closer to you, to be there for you, I just ran away to Beacon. Please … Forgive me." Tears began to fall from Weiss' eyes as she spoke, her mother baffled by her daughter's reaction. Then, she looked at Jaune, noticing a small, proud smile on his lips. It was different from Jacques … Warmer, more honest.
Slowly, Willow returned the hug to her daughter, letting tears fall from her eyes as well. Willow whispered. "I should have been there for you … you weren't the adult … a mother."
"Hey, kiddo." Roman got Jaune's attention. "We better leave them be. They need their time to patch things up."
"Alright." Jaune said, then he looked at Weiss and her mother. "If you need us, call us."
The thief and knight went outside of the room, making sure to close the door behind them. Once they were out of hearing range they stopped and an oddly comfortable silence fell over them. Minutes passed by as Jaune digested what he saw. His own family had problems but they had found ways to stick together. That wasn't a guarantee though and that frightened him, for himself and Weiss. But this line of thinking didn't last as Jaune was broken from his thoughts.
Roman adjusted his hat. "I must say, that was too tear-filled for my liking."
"It was emotional, alright." Jaune confirmed. "I wonder what they are going to talk about. I mean, I know what they might be talking about, but from what I heard from Weiss, this mess they have been into has been going on for years … Do you think something so deep can be so easily fixed?"
"That is the Million Lien question, Jaune." Roman said, lighting up one of his cigars. He also extended Jaune one. "Want some? I imagine the stress you're facing is quite something."
"No thanks, I don't smoke." Jaune said, letting Roman put the cigar away. "How are things going between Ash and his own wives?"
"Chaotic at first, Neo was apparently going quite hard on him in the first couple of days as well." Roman replied. "Go figure, the boy didn't want to upset me and Junior by taking a more pronounced stance against them. But after he brought us the horns of Adam Taurus, I and Junior gave him the blessings he needed. On the sole condition of no little runts running around any time soon."
Jaune chuckled. "I imagine."
"He has been more dominating in bed if Neo and the twins gossiping is to be believed." Roman shook his head. "Too much information at times. Still, he also treats them right. A couple of nights ago, he apparently busted a jewelry store to get them some presents for their official group date."
"Group date?" Jaune asked.
"Melanie's idea. Apparently, to make things go smoother among them as a marriage with more than two, she proposed going on group dates where all of them can hang out together. But trust me, I know the smell of sex when I smell it, and those horny animals have been doing more than movies and dinner." Roman told him further, taking a long drag of his cigar.
"What about you?" Jaune asked, looking at Roman. "Was there ever a woman close to becoming Miss Torchwick?"
"That is one hell of a personal question, kid." Roman went quiet for a bit. "Once. Lost my V-card to her too!"
"Wait, once? I would have thought the great Roman Torchwick would have been with more women in his life." Jaune said, surprised at his words, but Roman corrected him.
"Of course I was, but they were all one-night stands!" Roman said. "Some fun for one night, then at the crack of dawn either I or her scrammed. Nothing serious or deep. Only one time …"
"What was her name?" Jaune asked.
"Hana." He replied. "A girl from Mistral. What we had was just … real, you know?"
"Seeing as I have a bunch of wives? I think … " Jaune replied. "For me, it all happened overnight, and now I am supposed to actually get feelings for all of them."
"And how is that going for you?" Roman asked him. "I know Ash and his lot are more lustful than lovey-dovey. That Ren kid and his girl I know nothing about. But you? I can find out right here."
"It's … complicated." Jaune replied. "I don't want to hurt any of them, and I can tell most of them are already falling for me, some pretty hard, but when I look back at myself and MY feelings towards them? I am just … I don't know what to say, honestly."
"That bad, huh?" Roman said. "It sounds to me like you know how to make everyone happy but yourself."
"What?"
"Kid, you were also thrown into this mess overnight. Every woman out there who says this is less about you than your wives is a sexist hypocrite." Roman said, not bothering to be nice about it. He was being blunt and honest. "You might help them feel better about this situation, be the good husband they want and need, but are you really happy in this mess?"
"If I am … happy?" Jaune said slowly. "I don't know … I am not sad or miserable in any way, but at the same time I … Ohhh, I don't know Roman." he rubbed his head. "I am just so confused about everything, I am not sure if I can even return everyone's feelings."
"Heh. You need to be more selfish, Jaune." Roman said, which Jaune thought was strange advice. "You are selfless to a fault. And while a virtue, it can end up being a weakness too. You need to have more desire in you, something to drive you to DESIRE those women around you in more ways than one."
"And how do I do that? Where do I start?"
"How should I know?" Roman said, then he looked over the horizon through the window. "I lost Hana, remember? We never tied the knot, so I never knew the kind of feelings you go through, with marriage and all. But I know for a fact I loved her. I loved her until the day bitter death took her from me."
"She-"
"That is one of my biggest reasons for turning to crime, Jaune." Roman replied. "For me, it was a coping mechanism before it became a way of life. Love does something to us men. It can both bring out the best in us and destroy us. But before any of that, we need to find it. Take your time, and let my words sink in. You will find your answer."
"I … Thanks, Roman." Jaune replied, then he looked at him again. "Actually, I think I will have that cigar now if you don't mind."
"And I think the last thing I'd want is for you to begin smoking, Jaune." The two men turned around to see Weiss there, standing behind them.
"Weiss? How long were you there for?" Jaune asked.
"Not for long, but I obviously missed quite the rare event. Two men, talking heart to heart about feelings." Weiss's lip twitched upwards.
"Hey, don't expect us to do it again!" Roman added. "Anyway, why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be with your mother?"
"That is why I am here. Jaune, my mother wishes to speak with you." Weiss said.
"Me? Why?"
"She wants to discuss things with you. Namely, our marriage, getting to know you a bit better, and … the plan."
"You told her?"
"Yes, and she wants to know more."
Jaune sat down at a table with Willow, the two of them having some tea. Willow was still covering herself with the blanket Roman had left for her, and now the two simply sat to chat. Willow wished to have a one-on-one with him, meaning Weiss was not allowed inside of the room and she was going to spend time with Roman. He hoped those two wouldn't fight while he was gone. "So … " Willow began, and Jaune immediately stiffened up to pay attention. "I hear you want to take down my husband, and for that, you need my help."
"Y-yes, Ma'am. I am doing this for Weiss, actually." He said, making sure to state his intentions so she didn't draw the wrong assumption or anything.
Willow hummed, then she continued. "And what a plan … Ironwood is digging up all of my husband's dirty secrets, gathering evidence to place him behind bars, all the while he is here, dealing with the entire marriage scandal."
"Scandal?" Jaune swallowed. "Is it really that bad?"
"For an Atlas elite? Quite." Willow clarified. "But that would be my business-self speaking if I were to criticize Weiss' actions and put public image before emotions. As her mother, I am actually relieved and glad she found a boy her age to be with."
"I mean, Beacon is full of such boys?" Jaune said, but then Willow continued.
"Jaune, Jacques was never going to allow Weiss to remain in Beacon." And that is where the young Arc took a 180 personality-wise.
"WHAT?! But I heard how he made her fight a freaking Arma Gigas for her place in Beacon! Even second-years have trouble with such Grimm?!" His voice rose a bit.
"I know. I only learned about it later. Jacques was actually planning to bribe the teachers here to sign over a transfer to Atlas Academy, and from there he could maintain his reach over her. In addition, he also kept close conversations with one of his partners who desired Weiss as their trophy wife… A man 30 years my daughter's senior."
Jaune tightened his fist hearing that. That was disgusting!
Willow took a breath. "This entire marriage, and learning that the teachers in Beacon are incorruptible, ruined his plans. As good as my husband is, his influence is only strong in Atlas and Argus."
"Bastard … " Jaune said aloud, which got the eye of Willow. "Oh! Sorry about that."
"No need to apologize." Willow said. "I can understand why you'd react like that. To be honest, if I was better I would have stopped it all myself, but … Jaune, know what I am about to tell you, not even Winter knows. The only other person who knows is Jacques himself."
Jaune nodded his head.
"I tried to rebel against Jacques once, shortly after I learned I was pregnant with Winter. But when I did, he … He poisoned my father."
"He did what?" Jaune said in shock.
"It was a warning, saying that he will stop at nothing to keep his newly acquired wealth and power. I grew fearful, and in time, lost hope … But now I see the light at the end of the tunnel." Willow put her cup down. "Jaune, despite not knowing you, from what Weiss told me, I know you are a good boy. Or at the very least, way better than my husband is. This marriage does not please me, but if my songbird is happy, so am I."
"Thank you, Ma'am." Jaune smiled gratefully.
Willow shook her head. "Please, you can call me Mother."
"Ummm. Maybe we should wait a bit before using such close terms?" Jaune said back, and Willow actually chuckled at his silly demeanor.
"Weiss was right about your personality. This … silliness is quite amusing. Still, I don't know if it is fitting for a king." Willow said, which once again caught Jaune off guard. Just how much did Weiss tell her?! "Weiss told me EVERYTHING, Jaune. I know that you are the last eligible heir to the throne of Vale, and how you plan to overthrow the council and take said throne. To think my daughter would become a queen … A mother could not be prouder."
"Still don't know how to fully go about that." He admitted. "We need to somehow remove the council, but that is easier said than done. I have criminal contacts, and while not intentionally made, they can be easily used against me."
"Glad to see you are thinking about that." Willow replied. "Because I got a few ideas on how to help you with your little schemes."
"Really?"
"Yes, but before that, I do have a condition. My son." Willow stated. "I want your friends to bring Whitley to me as well. Despite him being more corrupted by Jacques than any of my children, I KNOW I can still save him from becoming a carbon copy of that man."
"That's … That's asking quite a bit. You were already kidnapped, so Jacques is likely to reinforce security." Jaune stated. "Getting to Whitley might be more difficult, not to mention it'd get Jacques on guard."
"And paranoid." Willow stated further. "Here is a lesson, Jaune. Sometimes, to destroy your enemies, you need to make them destroy themselves. If you can get me and Whitley, Jacques will likely run to the council, believing Ozpin is plotting against him and is trying to use me and Whitley as leverage. No doubt he will try using corrupt means to earn enough of their favor to forge falsified evidence."
"But if they get caught, not only would Jacques be accused of interfering in foreign affairs-"
"But also be charged with many other crimes, and on an international scale as well that will require the judgment of both Vale and Atlas. He would also be dragging your council down with him." Willow stated, a smile on her face. "So, what do you say, Your Highness?"
Ignoring her last words, Jaune replied. "Very well. I will let Roman know. He will handle everything. In the meantime, you might need to remain here."
"There is nothing wrong with that. Technically, I am no longer a prisoner, since I now choose to be here out of my own free will. Though a change of clothes would be appreciated." Willow stated. "But yes. If my husband is arrested, I can easily take back the company. As a show of good faith, I will provide you with some of my husband's passwords, as well as those from our home's security system. There might be things Ironwood will find quite interesting there."
"Great. That will really help us." Jaune said. "Anything else?"
"Hmmm. Well, while I am not entirely on board with my daughter being only one of your wives instead of your one and only, I do hope you will be fair to her. All I ask is that you give her the love she didn't get. The love I failed to offer her." Willow said.
"I will." Jaune looked at Willow and she was different than when he saw her in Ozpin's office. Her eyes were sharper and they held a focus Jaune had seen in huntsmen and huntresses before. Focused on an incoming mission.
Willow smiled. "In that case, go on right ahead. Kidnap my son."
Edited by HelpingHand
Handy: Roman was pretty baller this chapter. Nothing solves your problems like kidnapping. It is fun having him on the good side. Also, I would like to apologize. I got quite sick for a week and couldn't go through the chapter to make edits or do anything really. So I am sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I hope it was still good and worth the wait.
