Disclaimer: I do not own either RWBY or Star Wars
"This is getting out of hand!" The man slammed his fist into the table.
"It got out of hand when the White Fang launched their attack and managed to turn Atlas' Knights against us. The fall of Beacon was when that came crashing down upon us." The other person, a woman retorted.
They were the only people sitting within the room, a mere mockery of the grandeur within which they had once decided upon the future course of Vale.
It was miraculous enough that they could still meet there, and they both knew why.
"That's not what I am talking about!" The man took a deep breath, and his next words where much lower in volume. "At first, it was a whisper amongst the people, the kind of thing that would pop up every now and then. Then it spread, rising into a conversation. Now… it is almost a shout, and even those who should know better have added their voices to it."
"Yes, even some of our remaining staff seems to have taken it up. The Hunters remain silent on the matter, but we both know how indebted they have become to him. With Atlas withdrawing, we have no choice but to negotiate with them."
The man sighed, the exhalation resounding within the silent chamber.
"My, you sound deeply troubled Mr. Councillor." The sudden addition of a new voice startled the man, but the woman merely sighed slightly.
They both turned to regard the newcomer. His voice might not have been overly familiar to them, but his countenance was. How could they not know it, when it had been a matter of much debate and worry ever since he first appeared, taken in by that accursed Ozpin.
"Wayle Tyran!" The man exclaimed. "You dare intrude upon the council?!"
"Calm down you fool." The woman said, bringing the man's gaze upon herself, now filled with suspicion. "I invited him. He is not intruding."
She shot the youth an annoyed look. She would have preferred if he had at least announced his arrival, bought her some time to explain that.
Of course, he had no need to actually humour them in the first place. They might hold the official power as recognised by the other Kingdoms, but they held no real sway over the people of Vale anymore, and without the backing of Atlas they had no strength to hold its territories.
As a matter of fact, the youth that just brazenly entered unannounced could already be called the ruler of Vale. His 'Army of Union' controlled most of Vale, both the Kingdom and the city, and there was little doubt in her mind that he held more than enough sway with the people.
That was why she had contacted him. He had them in the palm of his hand already, her colleague was just too prideful and stubborn to recognise it.
If they were going to lose Vale to him anyway, they might as well at least try to keep the transition smooth. Of course, she had no intention of surrendering it without gaining something.
"Even you…" There was clear hurt in the man's voice as he visibly quivered.
"Take a look at the situation, what choice do we have?" She said, and the sharp words made the man recoil, as if struck.
He took several deep breaths, and steadily regained a veneer of calm and control.
Whatever he had realised the situation finally or if it was merely professionalism she couldn't tell, but she really needed him to not be a raving madman while the man who fought a myth stood before them.
Then again, it was hardly a myth if it really existed, now was it?
"Well, if it has come to this. Greetings Wayle Tyran, it is an unexpected pleasure to meet you."
The glance the man shot her said more than any words.
"Thank you. It is likewise a pleasure for me to finally meet the council, even if only two members are present." The young man said, a small polite bow accompanying his words.
Of course, it would be remiss of them not to answer his unsaid question.
"Out of our original members one perished during the disaster where Beacon was destroyed… and the other two fled to Atlas. We still don't quite know how they are doing, they have been unable to communicate with us for some time." The woman said.
And quite unsurprisingly to her, Wayle Tyran showed signs of annoyance.
"To have fled their duties… They do not deserve their lofty stations."
She wasn't entirely surprised at the words. They matched the outward ideals that the youth presented.
What surprised her was how genuine his words seemed.
"I will commend you both for remaining, and attempting to retain some semblance of control." He then continued, and once again it seemed genuine.
"Thank you." Both councillors responded.
It wouldn't do to abandon common courtesy.
"I assume that Mr. Tyran's presence here can only mean one thing?" The man said, directing his gaze towards her.
"Indeed, negotiating the future of the Kingdom of Vale."
"I hope you won't suggest we just hand it over."
"Of course not. As I said, we will negotiate."
The man sighed deeply.
"Fair enough. I assume that is the true reason you called for a meeting today?"
"Yes."
"Then I hope you will not mind if I begin?" Neither her nor Wayle Tyran had any objections. Seeing this the man took a deep breath. "I have no intention of relinquishing this Kingdom to a group of upstarts whose main strength is directly taken from a bunch of terrorists."
She figured he would say that. It was one of the main reasons why she was hesitant to even consider turning Vale over… but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Luckily, it seemed the leader of said upstarts took the comment in stride, and merely observed with a neutral expression.
"While we could debate the legitimacy of the Army of Union all day, it is fact that they currently control most of the Kingdom. Furthermore, they have successfully stabilised the situation in many parts, and even retook the ruins of Beacon, a location of utmost strategic importance." She retorted.
Her colleague's expression told her that he was painfully aware of this fact.
"This is a matter of integrity!" He then exclaimed. "We cannot just give some random group control, much less one that is at odds with an allied Kingdom!"
"And what does integrity matter, exactly?" Finally Wayle Tyran spoke up. "What does it matter in posterity, if favourable results are produced? I will admit that many of my subordinates, including a good portion of my inner circle, are former members of the White Fang. I will also admit that they have done deeds that would indeed mark them as terrorists, but… If we succeed, such details will be washed away. And if we fail… well, it'll be a moot point anyway, as we'll all die."
It was nothing like what she had expected he might say. His actions and policies spoke of strong idealism, but what he just said… was rather quite cynical indeed. Of course, what really struck her was the last few words.
"'We'll all die'?" The man asked, having noticed the same thing. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Do you really believe that the White Fang would have carried out such a brazen attack, do you really think they could have taken over the Knights?"
It was a rhetorical question. Of course they didn't, and it showed on their expressions.
"Indeed, there is someone pulling the strings. Someone who manipulated the White Fang, manipulated Cinder Fall… and who commands the Grimm."
Silence fell upon the room, neither councillor able to say anything in response to his claims.
That someone had been manipulating Cinder Fall didn't strike either of them as too odd, but that they commanded the Grimm?
"Preposterous! No one commands the Grimm!" The man said, although his words reeked of denial.
True, it was preposterous. It was utter madness to say something like that, but…
It made sense.
That crazy old coot Ozpin always seemed like he had been locked in a secret conflict, yet he had kept it hidden.
And the Grimm had acted in a number of uncharacteristic ways.
The way her colleague was shaking told her that words wouldn't be necessary, he himself was realising it as well.
Finally, he put his hands on the table, perhaps to stop their shaking.
"I suppose this is all a moot point." He said, his voice quivering. "It's not like you need our approval. I rest my case, defeated."
Wayle Tyran smiled. Of course, now came the hard part-
"Excellent. I was a bit uncertain, with the previous track record of the Council, but I believe that at the very least you two can continue to serve Vale."
"What?" She had held no hope of being able to come out of this unscathed. As such, his words had been completely unexpected.
"I have decided to let the two of you remain on the Council. I do not desire to make overly large changes, and having the council will remain useful."
"I… see." The man responded. "Of course, I assume that this should be seen as a second chance, and that we should take care not to squander it."
"Indeed, I am not about to tolerate incompetence. If I can find a better replacement, I will make sure you are replaced."
"Fair enough. Now, I might have backed on the matter, but I do not believe we could just make you King out of the blue."
Oh. Yes, that was an issue they would need to-
"That is not a problem. It is not your decision to make, after all." Wayle Tyran said. "That decision rests with the people, and will be discussed and prepared at a later stage. First, we need to perform the transition, make my Army of Union Vale's military force and merge their administrations."
The two councillors glanced at each other. That was… fine might be the wrong word, but it was far more reasonable than they had expected.
"Acceptable." She replied.
This had gone far smoother than she thought it would. It seemed she had underestimated just how much thought had actually gone into this from his part, and just how well he understood how he could make it work.
"Will you sit on the Council yourself Mr. Tyran?" The man asked, a most pertinent question.
"No. I do not have time to dedicate to sitting on your Council, even for a short time. But fear not, I have no intention of dissolving the Council, even if I become King. I do not quite have the full qualifications to run a nation, and there are many things that I will need to focus on. A Monarch ruling alone is bound to fail after all."
"Well, we inferred as much, but your clarification is appreciated." She said.
"I meant no offense, I was merely making sure."
"And none was taken."
"Good. I will send a few of my inner circle for the preparations. I am afraid I have other matters to attend to that will not wait."
The two of them watched as the enigmatic youth left the room. They honestly expected him to leave only for his inner circle to show up, but it seemed they were not there.
"What have you done?" The man said once they were certain he had left, assuming of course that he meant what he said.
"I believe I have taken the only gamble available to us."
"I suppose now we can only hope that it pays off…"
He trailed off, and they sat there in silence, waiting.
Waiting…
"How long do you think we'll need to wait anyway?"
"Do you… do you think he left that out on purpose? Or do you think he forgot?"
"He doesn't strike as the type to forget… He does on the other hand strike me as the type that might leave it out…"
Author's note: Well, I hadn't intended for there to be such a gap between this update and last... And then it got even longer! Anyway, despite the amount of time between this and last update, actually writing this went quite smoothly, refreshingly so as a matter of fact! I'm sorry if it's a bit dull, or if there is any atrocious writing in it, but I am cautiously pleased with it.
As usual, feel free to give feedback or constructive criticism. I note that a number of you were like, 'So not a positive review then', but it was some of the best feedback I'd had in a while. Criticism and negativity isn't necessarily the same, politely pointing out what someone did wrong is criticism as well.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and that you have a nice day.