Better late than never I suppose. Didn't help that I've been sick for the past few days, nor did it help that I spent an afternoon baking 125 cookies. Don't tell Ruby.
Luckily, I had today off, and I was able to get a lot done. I'm rather ticked at a coworker at the moment, as they were trying to drag me into working today even though I clearly wasn't needed (no inspections at the plant today) and we had worked alone under similar conditions before. They just wanted me there to make their day easier, and they didn't like the fact that both of us need to be in Sunday. They suggested that I work alone on Sunday, but with four allergen cleans going on, no way in hell is that going to work. I had to get the manager involved before he would let it go. It's rather typical of them as well to try to foist the harder day on me, they've done that a couple times before. So yeah, I'm pissed off. At least I only have to put up with them tomorrow, then they're on vacation for the rest of the year, and the coworker that's fair about arranging weekend work will be back.
Alright, enough of me griping about my work life, let's check on the reviews.
To HeartMachine, funny you mention sweet potato pies, I just saw my first one at the potluck at work this week (that was what the cookies were for, by the way). Characters suddenly changing their minds because things were said is a big irritation of mine as well. Some might, but Blake? Not happening.
To Dark drow, I wish the canon had taken the time to flesh out their characters more, rather than making them randomly kiss. Am I allowed to talk about RWBY spoilers in this? Because, to be honest, I had been hoping that Ren x Nora would never be a thing, that they'd never be together-together and just be friends to the end. I wouldn't have minded them getting together… I just wish there was a reason for it.
I should go to bed before I start cackling like a twisted madman. Enjoy!
Chapter Fifty-Four: Coronation
The morning of the coronation started with a private reception at Duke Orgen's estate. Dukes, their immediate family, and government officials of note mingled with each other, exchanging empty pleasantries, idle gossip, and veiled messages as they grazed on the estate's luxurious hors d'oeuvres.
Cardin stood in the center of the grand hall, dressed in his last suit, the one he had worn to Beacon's dance. Politicians and nobility swirled around him like smoke, shaking his hand, offering maudlin condolences, and asking what his plans were for upcoming votes. He gave each a false smile and short answers, never entangling himself in a conversation longer than necessary.
Servants in orange livery offered platter after platter of meats, cheeses, and tender pastries, but the thought that any morsel of it might be laced with poison made the caviar and liver pâté harder to swallow. He declined the bottles of wine shown to him, instead taking a glass of water that he checked for eddies of oily contaminants and undissolved granules.
He fought back surges of panic as the colors and the décor of the mansion brought back memories of the visions. Thoughts of being dragged through some hidden recess into the tunnels lurking beneath his feet haunted him as he passed through the crowd, always moving, always turning, watching the crowd around him.
At his side, trailing him like a shadow, was Gideon, in the red and black livery of the Winchester family. Though he had been searched at the door by Orgen's guards, Gideon had smuggled two collapsible axes up his sleeves. The servant abstained from food and drink, making sure he would be ready for whatever danger awaited Cardin.
As Cardin mingled with the crowd, he caught sight of Montblanc black and white. He slipped away, trying not to meet the Duke's eyes. Instead, he found Duke Cirilian in a blue suit with dark green tie and embroidery. Cardin felt his skin crawl as he made his way towards him, but with his father dead and the line of succession of his titles firmly out of House Cirilian's grasp, he might be the one Duke in Vale with any interest in seeing him live.
"A pleasure to see you, Charles."
The Duke raised an eyebrow at Cardin speaking so casually with him, but he let it go. "Cardin, you have my sympathies."
"You have mine as well. I imagine the loss of your cousin is some cause for grief for you."
Duke Charles sipped his glass of wine and studied Cardin. "Perhaps, though we were distant enough that I don't feel too crestfallen."
That was as good a way of saying that he didn't much mind the loss of the Winchester titles, but Cardin pressed on. "The Winchester titles don't have any true-blooded heirs after me. I don't think it bodes well for the stability of the kingdom."
"Grimm are massing around the city, and you think I'm concerned over the succession of a few titles?" The Duke chuckled ruefully, then he leaned in close and whispered, "Do you know what is coming?"
With an eye on the crowd around him, Cardin whispered back, "I know she plans to instigate a Grimm invasion. All it would take is one disaster to push the city's negativity over the edge."
Charles scoffed. "Then you know nothing. A toddler could have surmised as much, just from the ostentatious nature of this event and the smell of Dust munitions on the wind."
Taking a deep breath, Cardin gambled with a nugget of his more valuable information. "She intends to use the distraction to steal a powerful Semblance."
Duke Charles paused, looking down at Cardin from behind his wine glass with a skeptical frown. "Steal a Semblance? Is such a thing even possible?"
"I've seen the victim myself," Cardin said. "The scars on her face match what I have on my back."
The Duke gave him an appraising nod. "Do you have any idea what this Semblance does?"
"Well, I don't know exactly what, but I do know it's needed to open a vault containing something else that's incredibly powerful."
"What, then she needs this special item to, uh, make her way across the lost continent to find another powerful item?" The Duke gave him a cocky grin.
"It summons the two Brothers, apparently."
"Fairy tales. Cinder is one move away from having Vale, Mistral, and Atlas fall into the palm of her hand and wiping Menagerie off the face of the map, and you think she's chasing after some fairy tale? I thought your father raised you better."
"Then I suppose you have a better idea of what her motives really are?"
The Duke frowned. "Very well, let's humor this idea of yours. If everything is as you say, why haven't we heard of this Semblance and its theft before?"
"Ozpin's been hiding her."
"Ozpin," the Duke growled. "I can almost believe that."
"It explains why Cinder bothered enrolling in Beacon. What better way to find out where Ozpin has hidden her?"
The Duke smiled, waggling his finger in a condescending manner. "Have you forgotten her initial plan of tampering with the Vytal Festival?"
"She hardly needed to be a student for that. If anything, she would have drawn less attention to herself if she had just been another spectator."
A loud commotion disturbed the conversations around them, leaving the room in an unsettling combination of silence and greetings, as Duke Orgen entered the main hall. Cinder had one arm wrapped around his, and her gaze roamed around the room. When she saw Cardin and their eyes met, she smiled and held his gaze, studying him like a bacterium under a microscope, something minuscule and trapped, powerless to harm her.
With a penetrating look, as if trying to discern the thoughts and information in Cardin's head, the Duke drew a tiny radio receiver out of his pocket. He held out his hand, as if for a handshake, and Cardin took it, palming the device as they shook hands.
"It's been a pleasure catching up with you," he said loudly, "But I have other business to attend to. Perhaps we can talk later, after your coronation."
"It would be my pleasure," Cardin said, matching the Duke's idle tone. "I would love to hear more of how your sons are doing."
The Duke vanished into the crowd, leaving Cardin standing alone with Gideon. Duke Orgen clapped his hands together, signaling for silence.
"My fellow citizens of Vale, it has been my delight to host the reception for Cardin Winchester's coronation. Cardin, could you come forward?" He held a hand over his eyes, peering into the crowd. "I thought I saw you a moment ago."
Cardin took a wary step forward, watching the crowd around him. Orgen's face brightened as Cardin came into view. "There you are! Come on up and have some champagne!"
A servant came forward with a fluted glass, and Cardin took it, tipping the glass but only letting enough into his mouth to coat his tongue. It had a smooth, mellow taste, burning lightly from the alcohol and bubbling like a geyser.
Duke Orgen clamped a meaty hand on Cardin's shoulder and wrapped him to his side. With a few hearty slaps on Cardin's shoulder, the Duke said, "The pomp and circumstance can wait for later. For now, let's celebrate! Today is the day that Cardin Winchester becomes a man, and today is the day that Vale becomes the greatest nation in the world!"
That had an ominous ring to it. Cardin suppressed a shudder and smiled up at the Duke as he passed him a microphone, gesturing for him to address the audience. Cinder watched him carefully, as if daring him to say something rash.
"Thank you all for coming today and thank you Duke Orgen for arranging this ceremony. I would have preferred to greet you all at the main hall of the Winchester manor, but I'm afraid the carpets have a few stains in them."
Duke Orgen laughed even harder and slapped Cardin's shoulder hard enough to make his Aura flare up. "A sense of humor in the face of such a tragedy, Cardin's a man after my own heart! You will make a formidable enemy for the animals that destroyed your home."
That left him with the uncomfortable question of how to approach the White Fang. He would be expected to oppose them, of course, but go too far, and his words might be used to justify another attack.
"I will see them pay for their crimes," he said. "Although, I can't help but wonder what prompted them to attack my father's manor in the first place."
That took the smile off Duke Orgen's face, and Cinder's eyes flashed dangerously. Evidently, they hadn't been able to dig up any Faunus-related atrocities committed by him or his father. Muttering spread through the hall as the minor politicians wondered over Cardin's words, though the other Dukes were all watching him in silence.
The Duke's smile was back in place as if riveted there. "Ah, I'm sure they'll make some empty bluster about Vale's nobility not doing enough for them, or some other drivel. The lower class will always envy and despise that which they cannot have. But enough of that, we only have so much time before the public ceremony. Eat, drink, and enjoy the moment!"
With a hearty shove on the back, the Duke pushed Cardin back into the crowd. For a disorienting moment, Cardin had wondered if he had a dagger stuck in his back, from all the stinging he felt, but after a few deep breaths, Gideon came up to his side, holding a glass of water. Cardin greedily drank it down.
"No knives in the crowd," Gideon said quietly, "And no signs of poison in the food or drinks. Whatever they're planning, it will be at the ceremony."
"That's no reason to relax. There's still the two illusion Semblances to worry about. Are the others on standby?"
Gideon nodded, flashing him the text confirmations from the three teams. Ruby sent a picture of the spot she would be sniping from, and the remaining teams had fanned out, setting up spots of retreat at the fire exits and main doors of the Argent Concert Hall.
"Any word from Junior?"
"He has his men ready. He also said he can send the girls over if you need–" Gideon broke off suddenly as a committee chairman approached him, starting a flood of greetings and conversations. Minutes crawled by as Cardin spoke with everyone present, carefully monitoring his words while trying to pry details of the coronation plans without drawing attention to himself. By the end of the reception, he had come no closer to figuring out the finer details of Cinder's plans, but at least no one was giving him suspicious glances.
As the guests filed out of the hall, piling into limousines and sports cars and heading to the concert hall, Cinder lingered behind, waiting by the door. Sensing that she was waiting to get him alone, Cardin wormed his way into a thicker crowd, hoping to pass through without drawing her eye. He avoided direct eye contact and kept his head down, but despite that, Cinder picked him out of the crowd and met his gaze. As he got closer to the door, she made no move to call out or stop him. He paused at the threshold, watching her, one foot on the spacious front porch. As the crowd parted around him, he turned, took a deep breath, and walked over to her.
"A pleasure to see you again," Cardin said, offering her his hand.
She chuckled softly and took it, letting him kiss the back of her hand. "You're an excellent liar. I could almost believe you mean that."
He let the smile fall from his face. "And I could almost believe that you're not about to murder everyone in the city."
"Please, like you care about them."
"I care about having people to grow food, manufacture goods, and distribute everything," Cardin said. "I don't care about them individually, I'll admit that much, but I'd rather not have all of them chewed up like dog toys. It's bad for the economy."
Cinder snorted. "Was Mount Glenn bad for the economy?"
"Very. All that living space, gone, just like that? Stocks hadn't fallen that fast since the Faunus wars."
"And yet, the Dukes didn't hesitate when they gave the orders to seal the tunnels."
Cardin raised an eyebrow at her and chuckled. "You almost sound like you care."
For a moment, Cinder scowled, but it was replaced with a bemused smile. "Care is a strong word. I merely have a passing interest in its history. For example, did you know that the Dukes falsified the reports of how many were left behind? They had claimed that everyone had died in the initial onslaught."
"Yes, I know, a few thousand were still trapped in there."
"Two hundred and fifty thousand is more than a few," Cinder said. "Truth is, the Dukes had the tunnels closed off early, trapping them all in there, because the city couldn't afford to house all of them. Mount Glenn was made to contain the city's undesirables, the factory-workers and unemployed, and when the Grimm broke inside, it became their coffin."
"Which made the Scarabs," Cardin filled in, reflexively touching the scars on his back.
Cinder grinned at him. "That it did. Now if you'll excuse me, I think we're both going to be late for your coronation." As she walked out the door, she flashed him another smile over his shoulder and said, "You wouldn't want to miss it."
Cardin followed her as she went towards her ride. A cloaked, slender man held the door for her, glaring at her with beady yellow eyes. His gaze flickered over to Cardin and settled on him with wild hunger.
As she got into the car, Cardin debated the wisdom of a parting shot. Just before the cloaked man shut the door, Cardin said, "Send Salem my regards."
The door froze. Cinder shoved it open and stormed up to him. Her eyes blazed as she gazed up at him, one hand at her waist as if reaching for a weapon. As the silence between them stretched, Cardin felt sweat trickling down his back, and he hid a nervous swallow.
"She wasn't pleased that your conversation had ended so abruptly," she said.
Salem had to have contacted them, which likely meant that there was another Seer in the city. It made sense, if they wanted some control over the carnage they planned to unleash.
"Then perhaps we should speak some other time."
"Changing your mind so soon? You had your chance to kneel, and you chose to defy her."
"A Duke does not kneel," Cardin answered. "We do not submit to a king or queen."
Cinder gestured towards the line of luxurious vehicles heading towards the concert hall. "They will kneel, in time. They will kneel before the pool of darkness as Salem passes judgement on them."
"Good luck with that."
Cinder turned to leave, but the cloaked man rushed up to him, leaning uncomfortably close. Two sets of folding blades on his bracers glinted in the sunlight as the man lowered his hood. He had a tangled, greasy mop of brown hair, tousled about like a sack of straw, and long, thin eyebrows, lending him a manic appearance.
"You have seen the queen," he said in a soft hiss. "Tell me, was she not beautiful?"
The man's fingers stroked his weapons, and he stared at Cardin with wild intensity, as if reveling in all the slashes and gouges he was planning to leave on Cardin's chest. Gideon stepped up to Cardin's side, hands poised to draw his hidden axes.
"Her beauty makes the moon hide in shame," Cardin said.
The man giggled and clapped his hands. "Ooh, can I keep this one?"
"He must die, Tyrian" Cinder said casually as she let herself in the car. "He had spurned Salem's mercy."
With another giggle, Tyrian pranced back to the car and slid into the driver's seat. The car lurched, tires squealing as it shot out of the parking lot. Once they were gone, Gideon gestured towards a rental car, a white beater, and said, "We should get going, unless you've decided not to show up?"
Cardin shook his head. "Pointless. Let's just get this over with."
The Argent Concert Hall was packed, though not as Cardin had expected. In addition to the civilian crowd crammed in the seats, the stage was lined with Huntsmen, fifty in total, all armed to the teeth. Behind them, a couple hundred Knights and four Paladins stood like statues, lights on and awaiting orders. The Dukes, Cardin at the center of them, stood between the two pairs of Paladins, arranged in a line for the crowd.
Duke Orgen stepped up to the microphone and smiled up at the crowd. "Thank you all for coming today to support Cardin Winchester as he steps into his father's shoes. His father will be sorely missed for his work in supporting Vale's prosperity, but I have faith in Cardin's ability to surpass him. He has already proven himself, both on and off the battlefield, as a man who cares about the people.
On a hardlight display over the stage, videos played of Cardin handing out soup at Beacon's charity and battling Penny. Mutters rose in the crowd as they saw him helping the Faunus.
"Yes," Duke Orgen said with an edge to his voice. "Your eyes don't deceive you. Cardin himself handed out soup to the poor and impoverished Faunus of this city, and what do the White Fang do in return for his service? They butcher his father and burn his home to ashes!"
The crowd grew angrier as the Duke goaded them on. Cardin watched, fidgeting with his hands, as he waited for the hammer to fall.
"But today," Orgen said, stilling the crowd with his calm voice, "Today is not a day to grieve. Today is a day to celebrate. Today, we celebrate Cardin Winchester as he rises to the challenge of guiding our nation, alongside the other members of the council. We celebrate his triumphs, his defense of this kingdom, his steadfastness in the face of those that would cast down our nation and everything it stands for. We celebrate his coronation!"
With a wave of his hand, Duke Orgen urged Cardin forward. The crowd burst into applause as he strode up to the Duke, back tense, steps rigid and firm as he fought to maintain his composure. As his fingers wrapped around the microphone, he was struck by a cold, uncomfortable uncertainty. Did he warn them, that the whole thing was a setup, tell them to run? Play along with the farce? Try to reinforce relations with Atlas or evoke sympathy for the White Fang? Would it even matter?"
"Thank you," Cardin said automatically. As if by its own accord, he spoke, words tumbling off his lips with accustomed grace, like the gears of a well-oiled machine. "I appreciate the support that you have all shown me, and I will do everything I can to support you all in return."
"Well said," Duke Orgen said as he took back the microphone. "Since Vale's founding, it had been tradition for Dukes to wear a gold circlet. Duke Montblanc walked up to him, holding a gold circlet on a velvet cushion. Orgen took the crown with both hands and held it up before the crowd. "The tradition persists to this day, as a tribute to Vale's history. Cardin, if you would."
Cardin knelt. The crowd watched in rapt silence as the Duke of Orgen set the crowd on his head.
"Now rise, and kneel for no man again."
Cardin, Duke of Winchester, stood and faced the crowd. Applause and cheers shook the walls.
Once the clamor died down, Orgen cut the dying applause off, saying, "We have another matter, another cause to celebrate today." He paused, letting the crowd wait, building up the tension. "For all of known history, the Grimm have plagued us. Our achievements are measured in how effectively we have dealt with them. Each scrap of land we own is stained with the blood of Huntsmen that had driven them back, each wall built as Beowolves and Ursai clawed at them, each tower measured not by its height, but the size of Nevermore it would take to bring it down, and each ship filled with explosives to destroy the Grimm that breaches its hull."
Duke Orgen paced the stage, as if the raw energy of his voice urged his legs to move. The crowd leaned forward, drinking in his every word.
"Mankind's greatest dream has been the final solution, the means to drive back the Grimm forever. And today, we have it."
Two Paladins stomped off stage and returned with thick steel crates in their arms. They set them down, shaking the stage, and opened the doors. Four Beowolves stepped out of one, and an Ursa out of the other. The crowd gasped and shrank back, but Duke Orgen held his arms up in a placating gesture. "Easy, there is no need to panic. You don't see me running away, do you?"
It took a minute for the crowd to find their seats again, and a low buzz of muttering filled the hall. Duke Orgen waited, letting the crowd acclimate to the presence of Grimm before speaking again. "Atlas is often credited with having the greatest scientists, but our own researchers have not been idle. In their studies of Grimm behavior and physiology, they have found a means by which Grimm can be controlled. Over the last couple years, they have worked in secret to perfect this device." He pointed at the Knights and Huntsmen around them. "They are here in case anything goes wrong. After all, above all else, we wish to ensure the safety of the people."
On cue, the Huntsmen turned and bared their weapons at the Grimm. The Knights turned in place and leveled their guns with choreographed precision.
Duke Orgen rummaged around in his pocket and brought out a bulky, handheld device, like a remote control for a toy car. He held it out for Cardin and said, "Here. It's only fitting that you be the first to use it."
With numb fingers, Cardin took the device. It felt suspiciously light in his hands.
"How?" he asked.
"Press that button there," Orgen said, "Then simply tell the Grimm what you want them to do." As an afterthought, he added, "The other switches are to calibrate for other types of Grimm. Go ahead. Why don't you tell the Grimm to come over here?"
Cardin pressed the button. It clicked, and a light flashed, but otherwise, he felt and saw nothing. "Come here," he said, pointing at the Grimm closest to him.
The Beowolf blinked and lumbered over. It looked down at him with a blank expression and scratched at its thigh with long, sharp claws. The crowd murmured with excitement as they saw the device work its magic.
"Why don't you try shaking hands with it? I assure you, it's perfectly safe."
Cardin could all too easily imagine the Beowolf suddenly eviscerating him and lunging for the crowd, but with his Aura topped off, it'd take more than the Grimm here to kill him.
"Shake," he told the Beowolf, holding out his hand.
The Beowolf stared down at his hand its teeth clicking in its jaw as it frowned in confusion at Cardin's hand. The crowd held its breath, staring down at the spectacle with expressions of terror and excitement. Duke Orgen watched with a smug smile, and the other Dukes watched with impassive expressions, their wariness given away only by the way they leaned towards the Huntsmen or back exits, ready to flee at a moment's notice.
Slowly, the Beowolf held out its own hand, pressing palms with Cardin. The Beowolf's hair was coarse and scratchy, like Velcro. Cardin couldn't wrap his fingers around the Grimm's massive hand, so he hooked his fingers on the underside of its wrist, moving its arm up and down.
The crowd applauded quietly, as if afraid to dispel the hypnotic effect the device had on the Beowolf. Orgen clapped his hands with more energy as he went back to the microphone.
"As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, our device is a success. We hope to make even more of these and start deploying them in border towns, using the Grimm to fortify settlements deeper into unclaimed territory. Soon, the whole world will be ours to farm, to build homes, to mine, to prosper!"
The Duke raised his voice by degrees, easing the crowd back into noise an excitement. As the cheers reached their peak, one of the Huntsmen staggered back. His face was pale, and visible beads of sweat rolled down his face. They peeled back their shirt, exposing a giant purple stain.
Another fell to their knees, groaning in delirium. In rapid succession, more Huntsmen dropped as their comrades raised weapons, searching for the unseen assailant. Within a minute, only a handful remained standing.
As the crowd grew agitated, a loud explosion rocked the building. Steel screamed as it was torn apart, and chunks of rafters fell towards the stage. The Paladins moved quickly, raising their arms and shielding the Dukes from the debris. The few remaining Huntsmen raised shields and darted out of the way, but some of the Knights weren't so lucky, disappearing under rubble with audible crunches and twitching limbs.
A Bullhead descended through the hole in the roof, nimbly avoiding the protruding supports. The back opened, and a mask-clad figure with bull horns and red hair leapt down, landing in front of the Dukes. The Knights and Paladins trained guns on him, but with the press of a button on his Scroll, the machines froze. Their guns turned on the Dukes, the Huntsmen, and the crowd.
Adam Taurus raced towards Cardin, hand on his sword. Cardin threw his hands up, dropping the device as the hilt of the sword slammed into his cheek, narrowly missing his nose. The Faunus scooped up the device before it could hit the ground.
Out of the crowd, Tyrian leapt onto the stage, throwing off his cloak and flaunting his scorpion's tail. Adam gave him a curt nod and said, loud enough to carry over the panicked shouts, "Good work. Today will mark the day that the White Fang right the wrongs done to all Faunus."
Pressing the button, he told the Grimm, "Kill all humans. Protect the Faunus."
As guns fired into the crowd, Knights swarmed a beleaguered group of Huntsmen, and the Grimm closed around him, Cardin saw Cinder vanish through an exit door, smiling at him as the door shut.