Here we go

Chapter 2

It was a rare occurrence to have visitors in Ansel, especially before harvest. When the fields surrounding the village were cut and the food brought in, then the odd peddler or traveling merchant might think to come down and lift some coin of the farmers selling their wares. Before then, with stores running tight, no one wanted anything to do with a small farming community. It didn't bother the hardy folk of Ansel, who were more than content to get by with their own company.

This was different, though. Representatives from the Eternity Queen. A goddess given flesh, who had lived for thousands of years and ruled over Remnant. Legends had it she'd united the warring Kingdoms and founded the Eternal Empire. That was hundreds of years before the founding of Ansel, let alone his lifetime. There hadn't been a war in… well, there wasn't anyone left to wage war with.

Mayor Cobbin had everyone gather in the centre of the village, and he took rare and personal attention to count each and every person, even going so far as to call out those missing and demand their families fetch them. Cobbin was a good man, or so his father said. Not the hardest working of men, nor always one with answers, but loyal to Ansel and good to his neighbours. Katrina's husband, and the owner of the inn, the only building with any stone in its construction in all of Ansel.

"Nicholas. And Juniper, you're looking lovely as always." Anders Cobbin leaned in to embrace her and shake Nicholas' hand. "And your children?" He did a quick headcount. "Ah, they're all here. At least someone out here respects when I say to bring everyone. And you, Jaune. I hear I have you to thank for the fine meal I ate today."

It was polite conversation, and they all knew it. Like his wife, Mayor Cobbin did not necessarily buy into the rumours around him, but that didn't mean he wanted to approach either. Still, it was a kindness and Jaune bowed his head. "Thank you, sir."

"No. Thank you. I've been eating nothing but mushrooms and old grain for a week. Venison makes for a nice change."

"Anders." Nicholas interrupted. "Do you have any idea what these people are coming for?"

"Now, Nicholas, you know I can't-" The man held father's steely gaze for all over a few seconds before giving in. He spoke in a quiet whisper. "I can make a guess at best. I've not been given all the reasons, mind you, but news from down the river is they've been testing young women in the villages. Seems to me, they're on the lookout for new huntresses."

"No!" Mom gasped. The girls burst into quiet whispers, at least until Juniper shushed them. No wonder Mayor Cobbin wanted this quiet – news that huntresses, actual huntresses, were coming to Ansel would have the people in a tizzy. Girls would be desperate to meet them, parents to hide said girls away, or to prepare them in hopes of catching their eyes.

It was said the huntresses paid a family well for every girl they took. Rumour had it, that the only reason Mayor Cobbin could afford to build an inn at all was because he'd sold his first and only daughter to the Eternity Queen. He'd never had the guts to ask if it were true. Juniper was gripping onto Amber's shoulders tight, not nearly as calm with the idea of losing any of her children to them.

"Are you sure?" Nicholas pressed. "How reliable are these rumours?"

"You know I don't know that. Could be smoke in my ears. All I know is what I've been told, and I've been told to array everyone from the village to meet them. No exceptions. I hope it's recruitment," he admitted, "Because if it's anything else, I'd worry we've earned the Goddess' ire."

"We're good people!" Saphron blurted out.

"Aye, lass." Mayor Cobbin smiled kindly her way. "Which is why I think it's the first and not the last. We're law-abiding and goddess-fearing folk. The Eternity Queen knows that."

His sisters burst into excited chatter when Mayor Cobbin left to continue his rounds. Jaune was dragged into it by virtue of being next to them and listened with half an ear.

"Huntresses!" Jade whispered. "Coming here. Can you imagine? You think they'll tell us about the city?"

"You think they'll even talk to us?" Hazel scoffed.

"What will it hurt to try?"

"As much as they want it to. You've heard about their magic-"

"It's called soul magic," Lavender said.

"Actually, it's called aura." Coral corrected.

"Magic. Magick." Jade waved them both off. "It's the same thing. And they're not going to use it on us. They're the Goddess' chosen; they're on the side of light."

"Do you think any of us will be chosen?"

That was the big question, at least for them. No one knew exactly how huntresses were selected, only that they were picked out by current huntresses and taken away from their families, brought to the nearest city to study at one of the Grand Academies and learn under the Goddess' light. It was said that few ever returned to their families, but to be fair a lot was said about huntresses and not much known. For every story of a daughter being taken away, there were more about fighting off dragons, bringing the early rains and turning night to day.

"Wouldn't it be amazing? To be able to go to the city and see all the people there? You might even see the Goddess Salem!"

Pain hit him right between his eyes, grinding into his skull and forcing a sharp grunt and a step back. It was over as soon as it had begun, a flash of panic, fear and agony and then nothing. Even so, it was enough to have his sisters looking at him.

"It's nothing. I was just upset I couldn't be chosen. Vale… Vale sounds like it could be a lot of fun."

"Y-Yeah." Saphron didn't believe him, he could tell from her voice, but she chose to act like she did for both their sakes. "Well, if any of us were chosen then we would write back. Or you could visit."

"I'd like that." They were still giving him sympathetic looks, so he quickly changed the subject. "I wonder if they'll show us some magic."

"Let's ask! The worst they can say is no."

"You'll not be bothering them when they arrive." Nicholas said gruffly. He waded into the conversation, but his eyes remained locked on Jaune's. "None of you will be. They are important individuals. Dangerous, too. We neither want nor need their kind here. Am I understood?"

"Yes daddy."

"Yes father."

"Ugh. Fine."

Nicholas took the responses as they were, but he dipped his head and stared harder at Jaune, reiterating the message he'd given after their training session that afternoon. Stay away from them. Don't draw attention. Jaune nodded back without saying a word, and only then did their father move away.

He's worried, Jaune thought. About me. Is there a reason to…?

The low tolling of the town bell in its rickety wooden tower prevented any opportunity to find out. One of the younger boys tasked to man lookout signalled again twice, then leaned over to shout, "Riders! Two riders!"

Mayor Cobbin cursed loudly and picked up his pace, rushing back to stand in front of the assembled people. He brushed his finest clothes down, doing his best to appear as presentable as one could in a village as backwater and small as theirs. He still managed to look finer than everyone else, dressed in their thread hose, pleated skirts or thick woollen jerkins.

Jaune strained with everyone for a sight of the riders, but only picked them out when they rode slowly through the open wooden gates and came to a halt within. Powerful steeds hands taller than even the largest in their fields stamped at the dusty ground. Their manes were braided, their tails knotted, and harnesses draped with silver and gold met barding of purest white coated with only the thinnest layer of dust. Black leather saddlebags dotted their sides, but Jaune's eyes were drawn upward, to the two riders who blew all of Mayor Cobbin's efforts away.

They're young, Jaune thought, and it was a greater surprise than he'd imagined. He'd expected women of thirty or more summers, but the one in the lead couldn't have been older than twenty-five.

She had long black hair, golden eyes and a regal demeanour, sat straight-backed on her steed with the reins dangling between her fingers. The woman, the huntress, wore thigh-high black riding boots, grey hose that looked soft and expensive, and a darker grey leather cuirass studded with gold or burnished bronze bolts. A thin sheet of chainmail poked from the bottom and her arms, covering only her shoulders and giving way to a blue-grey blouse that fluttered down to her hands, wrapped in tight black riding gloves.

A bow poked out from behind her, strapped to the back of her saddle with half sticking out either side. It was a powerful-looking thing. Not a huge war bow like he'd seen a merchant's guard show off with once, but not the yew hunting bow Jaune was used to using either. This was thicker, with extra bits of wood strapped along it in places, the wood all dyed to a grey and black colour. It was small enough to be fired from horseback. Two quivers were strapped to the left flank of her horse, and a sheathed sword hung beneath that, low enough that she'd have had to dismount to draw it.

Her companion was younger still, red of hair – and not at all orange like most redheads. Purest crimson, like blood, tied back in a ponytail. A bronze circlet kept the hair from her face, a smooth and pretty face with a smile friendly enough to have Mayor Cobbin and the others sagging with relief. It didn't feel possible the huntresses had come to punish Ansel if the girl was smiling like that.

Much like the older huntress, she wore leather and cloth, though her cuirass had a bronze plate across the front, and there was no bow. Instead, the girl had a sabre hanging from one hip and a bronze shield, round and small, on her back. A medium-sized lance hung on the right flank of her mount, carefully strapped atop her saddlebags. The girl's green eyes flicked over the crowd, taking them in as she set her reins down before her and sat up straight.

Katrina elbowed her husband, and the man sprung into action. "Honoured guests!" he waxed loudly, approaching with his arms spread wide. "The most honoured. Blessed by the light of our lady. Welcome to Ansel. It is a great honour to see two of the Goddess' chosen here."

"Thank you for your greeting," the dark-haired huntress said. She swung one leg over her mount and slid down its flank. The other did the same, both landing at roughly the same time. "The Goddess blesses all who serve loyally. Do you have stables?"

"We've prepared grain and fresh river water." Mayor Cobbin indicated a stall by the gate. It was little more than a thatch roof over some rickety wooden corrals, and the man flinched at the thought of even suggesting it for them. "We apologise for the quality, but-"

"It is fine. Pyrrha. See to them."

The girl with the red hair nodded and took her horse by its reins, then moved over to accept the older woman's. The mounts whickered and allowed themselves to be drawn away.

"We can have our stable hands brush them down later if you wish," Mayor Cobbin offered. "Will you be spending the night? I did not wish to presume but it is late."

"We have more travel on the morrow but would not refuse hospitality."

"Then be welcome. I will have my best rooms set aside! No charge, of course-"

"We shall pay and pay fairly," the huntress interrupted. "The Goddess and her chosen do not take from the masses." The woman sighed and brushed her raven hair away from her face, yet again reminding them how young she was. The fact she commanded everyone's silence and respect despite that spoke volumes. Jaune personally knew a handful of men, especially the elders, who would never take orders from what they would have called a young whip of a girl. "I am Cinder. My companion is Pyrrha. It is the time of the Grand Hunt." Her lips quirked into a small smile. "Fret not, the name is symbolic. We are here to test for those who might be capable of wielding the Goddess' light. Hunting for new sisters to join our order."

Jade elbowed Hazel and whispered, "I told you so!" even though it hadn't been her to come up with the idea at all. Juniper hushed them again. Thankfully, the huntress, Cinder, had either not heard or had elected to ignore them. There was murmur and chatter enough from the proclamation. Not everyone was happy with the idea of losing a daughter to the city. Some were reliant on marriages or were helped in the fields by their children. Losing bodies just before harvest wouldn't help anyone. Of course, one did not say that to a huntress of Cinder's stature and might. One did not spur the Goddess' chosen or act like you were above them.

Jaune stood back with his mother and father as the girls, as every woman below twenty in the village, was drawn up to stand in a line before the huntress. The fiery-haired one returned but stood a ways back, leaving Cinder to walk slowly before the fifteen young women of age. That half the villages' population of marriable women were family would have been a problem for him even if he wasn't shunned.

Before the watchful eyes of the villagers, the huntress stopped at the leftmost of the girls – the miller's daughter, Lisa. She removed the glove of her left hand and touched her fingers to the girl's forehead, right between her eyes. Lisa went still, frightened or just confused. After a moment, the huntress shook her head, took her hand back and moved onto the next. Jaune heard the relieved sound the miller made as his daughter stumbled away.

Cinder moved from girl to girl, touching them briefly and moving on when nothing happened. Jaune felt his parents tense up whenever she stopped before one of his sisters. Saphron, Coral, Sable, Jade and Hazel. None of them were chosen. On each shake of the huntress' head, Juniper would whisper a prayer of thanks to the goddess.

The routine changed with Marie, a young girl, a farmer's daughter. Cinder touched her fingers to the girl's face as before. It was all the same. And yet… it wasn't. Something tickled at his nose, like the faintest scent of dew on the morning grass. It made him perk up a second before the huntress took her hand away. Slowly, she reached into a pouch at her side, removed a single silver coin and pressed it with her thumb into the girl's palm.

Payment. Silver for a daughter. The farmer's wife burst into tears, and the man drew her into his embrace. Marie, the girl, looked down at her hand in shock and then up to Cinder, but the huntress had already moved on.

The rest of the girls were tested similarly, but no one else received a coin. Amber was the last, and Juniper almost sagged into his father's arms when she, too, received a shake of the head. His youngest sister appeared disappointed. To her, it was the promise of adventure being taken away. To everyone else, it was the survival of a daughter. One girl. One woman out of fifteen. Huntresses were that rare, then. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her and her parents, even if that silver would buy them a new house.

"Thank you for your cooperation." The huntress stepped back and spoke loudly. While the other girls had rushed back to their family, Marie remained, unsure what, if anything, she should do. The huntress with red hair came up to whisper something to her, and the girl nodded quickly and ran to her parents, who wrapped her up in a desperate embrace. "The goddess blesses you for your welcome today. May your harvest be bountiful, your winter short. We will-"

"You should test Jaune!"

The shout, insidious and scathing, came from the back of the crowd, and without warning. Jaune flinched, and Nicholas swore as he'd never heard him before.

"Who do you think you are to interrupt our guests?" Mayor Cobbin roared back. Wringing his hands, he approached Cinder and said, "Please forgive him. He speaks out of hand."

"It is fine. Who is this one you speak of? I asked for all women to be arrayed."

"They have been. I assure you, huntress. Tis a poor jest-"

"It's the cursed boy."

A man pushed to the front of the crowd. Tulle, old and weathered. One of the farmers, one of the old-fashioned ones who had more than once blamed poor harvests on Jaune's presence in the village. A lot of people did, but even so they backed away from him, unwilling to show their support. Tulle didn't care. He strode forward and pointed with his hand, and despite his father's best attempts to shield him, there was no hiding from the huntress' gaze.

"That lad – the one hiding." Tulle spat. "Visions and demons plague him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was possessed by the Dark Lord himself."

"Calm your nonsense, Tulle!" Cobbin barked. "Our guests have no need of your doom-mongering!"

"He's a blight on this village, Cobbin. Mark my words. Poor harvests are one thing, but he carries the blight with him. Diseased. Accursed." To the huntresses, he said, "Screams at the night, he does. Bleeds in the presence of good men and women. I tell you now, he's no ordinary child. A pale moon hung in the sky when he was born."

"You bloody superstitious fool. I ought to-"

The huntress placed a hand on Cobbin's shoulder and gently steered him away. It also had the effect of silencing him. She pushed past the mayor, walking purposefully over the green toward them. Jaune felt rooted to the spot, cold and locked under her burning, golden eyes.

Nicholas was not and moved to stand between him and the huntress. "The man is crazed," he told her. "My son is sick, that is all. He had ailments as a child and recovered with attention from a healer. Please ignore what has been said. He's no more cursed than you or I."

"Then you will not fear if I speak with him. No?" She stood up to his father, almost half a foot taller than her, without fear. "Step aside."

For a brief moment, it felt like his father wouldn't. His hand fell to his side, to the knife Jaune knew he kept attached to the back of his belt. Jaune's eyes widened, visions of bloodshed filling his mind. His father would protect all his children, but he couldn't fight a huntress. He'd be killed! Jaune lurched out from behind his father, skirting past him even as Nicholas reached out with a "Jaune! No!"

"I'm here!" he said, standing before the woman. "I… I'm here…"

Up close she seemed taller, even more intimidating. In truth, she was his height – but Jaune was tall already and he wasn't used to a woman matching him inch for inch. Her eyes swam like pools of molten gold, but they were cold. Cold despite the words she said, and colder still the longer he held them.

"Visions," she said, so softly that only he heard it. "Tell me, what visions have you seen?"

"None, ma'am. I…" He quailed as her eyes hardened. "Nightmares," he admitted. "That's all they were. I used to have them as a kid. B-But everyone does. I've not had them since."

"Describe these nightmares."

Screaming. Pain. Torture. Death.

"I don't remember them." The lies were ingrained. No one wanted to know what he saw. He'd learned that early on. "I think some were about Grimm, or wolves or being lost in the forest. I had one once where a girl I liked laughed at me when I asked her to dance."

"Does the name Ozma mean anything to you?"

"It's the Dark Lord's name. Everyone knows it."

"What do you know of him?"

"He's the Dark Lord," Jaune said as if it were obvious. "He nearly brought about the death of our world, of all humanity, before the Eternity Queen defeated him and sealed him away."

"That is correct." Cinder brought her left hand up and, like she had to the other women, touched her fingers between his eyes. It was a cooling touch, but there was something beneath it all. The tingling returned, and he was sure he could feel something, something like strands of light, reaching up her arm toward her hand. It took everything he had not to pull away. "And have you heard about the Dark Lord's efforts to escape his prison?"

"I… I have. T… They say he possesses the minds of men. T…That he chooses one, drives them to madness and makes them into monsters." He trembled, all too aware of what Tulle had implied to them. "But that's not me!" he swore. "I promise, I'd never… I've grown up in the Goddess' light. I'd never-"

He caught the tightening of the huntress' eyes, the tension in her muscles. Then, silver. Something hot burned its way across his cheek and Jaune's head snapped to the side. He gasped, as did his parents. Nicholas made to charge forward, but Juniper held him back. With his face now looking down at the grass, Jaune watched the small droplets of blood splash down. His left cheek burned, and he brought his hand up to touch it.

Cinder caught his hand and batted it away, then gripped his jaw in her left, forcefully tilting his eyes away, back to the rest of the villagers. Mayor Cobbin looked visibly disturbed. Tulle looked pleased. The others were a mixture of upset and tense, but he could well see some of them nodding as if this confirmed their fears of him. That he truly was an accursed child.

The huntress sheathed the knife she'd cut him with, then brought her gloved hand up and pinched the skin on either side of the cut she'd given him and peeled it away. Pain shot through him and he hissed, tensing up in her grip as blood ran freely down his chin. The huntress held him there, watching him bleed for what felt a minute or more.

"He is not cursed." Cinder said at last. Jaune's eyes widened, his trembling ceasing as a shocked murmur spread through the audience. The woman released him, letting him pull back and clap a hand to his cheek. "He is free of any presence of the Dark Lord."

"But…" Tulle said.

"Sister Cinder has declared him free of taint." The other huntress stepped up and crossed her arms. "Do you challenge her, farmer?"

"N-No. No. I'd never-" Tulle licked his lips. "If the Goddess' chosen says it, who am I to disagree?"

"Who, indeed." Cinder said it lowly. Jaune wasn't sure anyone, but he heard her. With a put-upon sigh, she reached into her pouch, retrieved a silver coin and pressed it into the palm of his hand. Payment. Though not, he imagined, in the same way Marie's family had earned it. "For your trouble," she said loud enough for his parents to hear. Nicholas was still shaking, his teeth grinding together. "Come, Pyrrha. I am wary and would rest. You must be hungry as well."

"Y-Yes." Mayor Cobbin took the hint, as did Katrina, rushing to the inn. "Please follow me. My wife will cook you both a fine meal while I show you to your rooms. Marrick!" he called. "See to brushing down the fine ladies' steeds and untacking them. Please, follow me. You shall have my own room this night. No finer can I offer."

Leather creaked as Cinder stepped past Jaune and away. The other, Pyrrha, walked by and offered him tight-lipped smile and a nod before she, too, entered the inn, leaving the assembled villagers of Ansel in shock. Blood continued to run down Jaune's cheek and drip onto the grass until a hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him back. His father pushed him towards his mother, who quickly pressed a scrap of cloth to his skin. Nicholas continued walking, pushing past the stable hand rushing to the huntress' mounts. His hands were clenched tight.

Residents backed away. Nicholas was not just the village's best hunter, but the one they trusted to deal with wolves and other beasts. No one stood in his way, and Tulle, the farmer who had outed Jaune, looked around in a panic. He found no one willing to stand beside him.

"N…Now Nicholas, listen here, it's nothing short of our duty. Caution. A…And you heard what she said, your boy is fine. Isn't it better to hear that from the mouth of the chosen? How else would we-"

Juniper pulled his face away moments before the meaty thwack echoed. Tulle cried out and by the sounds of it fell, and he heard the cries as Nicholas rained blows down upon him. A few called out, but none truly made to stop him. No one dared.

"You dare!" Nicholas shouted. "How many winters have I helped you through, Tulle. Who was it who sought out the roots my wife used to ease your wife when she gave birth? It was me! I scoured the hills in winter for your family, and you can't damn well return the favour to stay silent!?"

Another impact, a crack and frantic sobbing. Jaune tried to look back, but his mother tugged him away, turning her body to shield him from the violence. "Come on." she whispered into his hair. "Let's wash that dirt and blood away. You were brave, Jaune. So very brave."

/-/

The inn was crowded that night, not only because there was little to do but wait for the harvest, but also because everyone, young or old, wanted to see the huntresses again, even if that was just to watch them eat. The only ones not in attendance were Marie and her family, likely mourning or saying goodbye in peace. He'd never been close to her, no more than he had anyone in Ansel with their parents warning the other kids away. His knowledge of people was mostly limited to association with his sisters, of which Marie was a friend of Sable's. A quiet and dutiful girl or so he'd heard. She had a fleeting interest in a boy the village over, and Sable said her parents had met with his to discuss a marriage. That wouldn't come to much now that the goddess had chosen her.

"I can't believe none of us were chosen." Jade complained. She had been all night, and their mother had already stamped down the idea of approaching the huntresses to ask them to check again. "And Marie. Ugh. How does the most boring girl in the village get picked by the goddess?"

"Being chosen isn't necessarily a good thing." Nicholas said. "You should count your stars you weren't."

"Yes daddy." Jade rolled her eyes. "But come on, Marie? I can fight. We hunt, we're active and we can beat half the guys in the village with staff and spear. We're huntress material."

"What do you think, Jaune?" Saphron asked. When he hummed to show he'd been too distracted to hear, she said, "I was asking if you think people might be more willing to talk to you now a spokesperson of the Goddess said you're not cursed."

He hadn't thought of that. To be honest, he'd thought of nothing but the way Cinder's eyes met his, the strange sensations he'd felt when her hand touched him and then the cut on his cheek that still stung. Saphron's point caught his attention, though. In a good way. If the chosen had told the village he was okay, could they argue with it? He didn't expect it would stop everything, but it might be enough to open people's thoughts to actually talking with him.

"Has to count for something, right?" Sable said. "Huntresses speak with the authority of the Eternity Queen. If one of them says you're safe, you're safe."

"Yeah. You even have a reminder to show people," Jade said as she touched her cheek.

"Jade!" Their mother chastised. "That is no laughing matter!"

She didn't mean anything by it. Never did. Jaune chuckled to let them know he hadn't taking it seriously, even if the reminder did make it itch a little more. He resisted the urge to touch it. The poultice his mother had applied would only keep it clean if he didn't brush it away. It would probably scar, most facial wounds did, especially one as sudden as this. It'd be worth it if it did get people to back off. Maybe he could even approach a girl to dance with him at the harvest festival.

"Looks like the surly one is off to bed." Coral drew their attention back to the huntresses. Not that everyone in the inn wasn't already staring at them. Cinder had stood up and was moving to the staircase, her boots clicking on the wooden beams and her head held high. The moment she left, the other, the one with the fiery hair, sat back and took a drink of her ale.

On seeing the frightening one gone, a pair of children cautiously approached, having escaped the grasp of their mother. They paused before the table, hesitating nervously before one dared to ask the huntress something. The girl leaned over with a pleasant smile, listened to them and then tilted her head to the side to offer them a gentle smile.

Driving her chair back, she brought her legs out to sit away from the table, drew her hands up before her and cupped them before her. Pale, green light began to shimmer across her skin, before it filled her palms and spilled down her fingers like a waterfall. The children giggled and tried to catch it, only for the water to pass through their hands and continue to the floor, where it disappeared.

Jaune didn't think there was a single person in the inn not staring at the casual display of magic. Everyone had been hoping to see it, even him, and he half wondered if the children hadn't been sent over with a little coaxing from their parents just for the chance at this.

"At least one of them isn't a total bitch," Jade said. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Jade!" Nicholas hissed far too late to stop his daughter standing up and jogging over. Hazel followed on her footsteps, emboldened by her twin. "Damn it," their father said, making to stand.

Juniper placed a hand on his. "Let them. They'll only work harder to defy you if you say no. Besides, they weren't chosen. What's the worst that can happen?"

Apparently, not much. Hazel and Jade approached the redheaded huntress and began to talk to her, and to his surprise the woman gestured for them to sit at the table. It sparked a small craze among the village, with many more of the younger generation hurrying over now that they knew it was safe to do so. Soon, the woman was crowded all around, and yet she continued to smile confidently, comfortable even in the mass of bodies. After a few seconds, Lavender and Amber also left to go hear what she was talking about.

"Not tempted?" Saphron asked him.

"I don't want to tempt fate on a second scar."

"Wise." Nicholas rumbled. "At least some of my children inherited common sense. Unlike those four."

"We're not the ones who beat a man not two hours ago," Coral teased.

Nicholas snorted and closed his eyes. "Actions have consequences. Tulle ought to have known that, and he'll remember this lesson harder than anything else I could have done."

"Will you really refuse to sell meat to his family for this?"

"That was just a threat. I'm not going to let children starve for one man's stupidity. I'll withhold for a while, watch him get uncomfortable and then slip some to his wife. She, at least, knows better than to encourage his nonsense. My son. Cursed. That damned fool."

"Everyone in the village thought it," Jaune pointed out.

"Not everyone in the village would have turned you over to complete strangers. No one will forget he did that in a hurry. You're only as good as your reputation. Remember that."

Remember? He knew it well. He'd lived with a poor reputation since birth and seen first-hand what it could do. Still, he nodded, and soon they were more focused on food and drink and the subtle celebration of having none of their own chosen to serve the goddess. As the hours ticked by, more and more people dared approach and speak with the more personable huntress, who delighted with a few tricks and displays of magic, and even more so with stories of the capital city, the Grand Academy and the Eternity Queen herself.

Somewhere in the midst of that, Jaune excused himself to clear his head outside. Juniper and Nicholas were too happy to have kept their family to notice anything wrong and let him go. The moon was up outside, the late night mist creeping in at the edges of the village and the owls hooted from the orchard. A lonely cat crept about the back of the inn, a tabby that served to hunt pests and keep the storehouse clean of rats.

If anyone had told him a huntress would be in Ansel a few months ago he would have been at the forefront of those fighting to see her. And yet he couldn't. Even though the one with the red hair seemed that much kinder, all he could think of was the bite of steel and the cold, calculating eyes. He thumbed the silver coin in his pocket. His parents hadn't asked for it and he knew they wouldn't. They'd tell him to use it to buy himself a home for when he wedded. The girls were covered there, but he, they knew, might have to move to another village to escape the rumours. Unless Saphron was right and this scar really would prove he wasn't the cursed child they claimed.

The door to the inn opened and closed with a soft, wooden clack. Jaune paid little attention. Patrons came and went and there was nowhere but outside to relieve oneself. It was a surprise then when the footsteps crunched their way toward him. Who had come after him? Saphron? Sable? Jaune turned with an annoyed sigh. "I told you I'm fine. I just wanted to clear my-"

Green eyes. Black leather, bronze armour and charcoal grey fabric. It was her hair that really made her stand out, however. As red as blood and vibrant in the still of night.

"Forgive me," the huntress said softly. "But if you would spare me the time, I would enjoy the chance to speak with you."

What's this? Pyrrha being one of the first characters introduced? Having actual plot relevance? In a COEUR story!? SORCERY! It is the end times. Proof that 2022 truly is the end of civilisations. Run for the hills. Flee. Flee!

I almost expect some comparisons to Wheel of Time for this intro, mostly because of the whole "women have aura" vs "women can control the source" and how man are portrayed as evil or mad in both.

Honestly, it's just a coincidence, and the very obvious proof of that is how aura absolutely wouldn't drive men mad here. They're obviously just saying it would because they (Salem) knows that in a world where aura isn't well known and is seen as magic, the first man to show it almost certainly is the current incarnation of Ozma.

There's no "Aes Sedai" or "The One Source" here. Just Salem trying to catch out Ozma easier by making aura illegal for men, and portraying that under a religious pretence. If a guy used aura, he'd be totally fine as long as he isn't Ozma's reincarnation like Jaune is here. Though said man might still be hunted down and killed just because he "might" be Ozma.

Next Chapter: 25th January

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur