I'm so sorry this took so long. Seasonal depression is a cruel foe… This chapter was meant to be posted on Christmas as the events for the "Winter Festival," Remnant's version of Christmas. The next few will follow the theme since there's going to be a lot happening on what's supposed to be a single day.
The 0bservanc3- I think I covered this? I'm not sure… Regardless, for the second point I've decided that I'll minimize what I share in ANs. Most likely they'll be limited to either answering questions on things from earlier in the story or minor details that don't actually play a major part, meaning anything that could give away a plot point will be kept unsaid. As for your sixth thought, I have to admit I actually haven't watched Volume 5 beyond the first (and maybe second) episode as of posting this chapter on March 24th. I think in our conversation you asked about the Relics and, while I can't say if they'll appear in the story, they won't be as the "hidden away under the Huntsmen Academies" things from canon. As for the fourth point, as explained there's still a reason why Remnant is the way it is, but it's not tied to it being potentially some future Earth. Remnant is a unique place and it earned its name. The existence of the Badlands of Draconys, something that Aurelius has already been stated to have wandered through before he became the Blue Rose or even before the first city of Sanctuary was established can be taken as a hint that something very bad happened to Remnant in the past.
FrozenButterfly- The way it would work means that it couldn't happen accidentally. In fact, it could even require that someone with the skill of a Dust Sage (Aurelius, Adrienne, or one of the duo or Winter when one of them gets the required proficiency for it) to actually set up.
Yurippe15- That's going to come up next chapter and there's going to be a bit of training with Summer involved, don't worry.
Chapter 62: Isolda's Day: Recollections
Ancient Draconys
Isolda let out a sigh as she wandered back down the path. As much as she enjoyed spending time in Marcus' glade, she eventually had to return to the others. His residence, much to her surprise, was a small, one room cabin that was unsuitable for two people, which dashed her hopes of exploring more of the forests surrounding the clearing. She quickly discovered that Aurelius knew just about everything about the nearby woods, something that surprised her, but he quickly explained that it was one of his gifts to the world. "Whenever one of us is created, we often bring something into existence," he said to her before she left. "For me, it was the trees, bushes, and other large plants. Soon, you will bring something into being as well." She looked up at the trees, admiring the leaves as she walked, shading her from the sun above.
She was drawn out of her thoughts by movement in a nearby bush. A smile crossed her face as she saw the young fox from the clearing move out of the foliage before she knelt to pet its head. Its eyes closed as it leaned in to the touch. "Hello little one…" she muttered with a smile. The small fox had followed her around the clearing and she'd come to enjoy its presence. She stood up and watched it run down the path. She continued along, following at a relaxed pace. As she continued along the trail, she heard it cry out. Frowning, she quickened her pace as she approached the bend the kit had gone around. As she walked around the bend, she let out a shocked gasp. Crouched in front of her, dagger plunged into the small animal's side, was Julius. "What are you doing?!" she yelled, a look of shock on her face.
Julius looked up, annoyance clear on his face. "I'm hunting, what does it look like?"
"We have plenty of food! You didn't need to kill him!" she said before the man laughed.
"Oh, I'm not killing this one for meat. I want its fur for something," he said, causing her to look at him in shock.
"What could possibly be so important that you'd have to kill that little fox for its fur, Julius?" she asked, tearing up slightly.
He scoffed. "why does it matter to you? It's just an animal meant to be hunted by others for their benefit. It doesn't matter if it's for food or fur," he quickly carved a line down the fox's side and started removing the hide. "They're stupid animals. That's all they are, and that's all they'll ever be, do you understand? If not, you should just go back to hiding in the damn woods."
She took a step back, looking at the small animal, knowing the trust that Marcus had built in the creatures around his home had been exploited for the selfish benefit of others. She spun around and ran back the way she came. When she returned to the clearing, Marcus glanced up from what he was doing. "Isolda, is something wro-" he started before the woman latched onto him, letting out a sob. He calmly wrapped his arms around her as she tried to talk. "Just take your time. I'll be here when you're ready," he muttered quietly as he waited for her to recover.
Bastion, Rose Quarter, Aurelius' residence
"What a strange dream," Winter thought as she stirred from her sleep. She rubbed her head as she propped herself up, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Her gaze refocused on a pair of silver eyes before the memories of the previous night returned to her. She smiled slightly at the feeling of a hand rubbing her back. "Good morning," she muttered, a strange feeling of completion filling her.
Aurelius smiled down at her. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, looking more relaxed than Winter had ever seen him.
"I did," she started before blushing. "Thank you for… last night," she finished quickly. She lowered herself back to his chest, closing her eyes as she listened to his breathing for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"You look like something's bothering you… do you want to share?" he asked after a moment.
Winter let out a sigh. "No, just a dream," she muttered. "As enjoyable as this is… I feel we need to get up at some point." She hesitantly got up, heading for the bathroom. After a quick shower, she stopped to look in the mirror, rubbing her head as a headache set in. "What was that dream even about? Why would I be so disturbed and upset by a fox dying?" she thought to herself. She glanced back up at the mirror and staggered back briefly at the pools of silver that had replaced her normally blue eyes. "W-what-" she muttered before the headache turned into a migrane.
Ancient Draconys
Isolda let out a yawn as she woke up, rubbing her eyes. After a moment she paused in confusion at the bed under her. "I don't remember… I was in the woods, so how am I…" she thought before looking around, noticing the small room she found herself in as a feeling of guilt filled her. "Did I fall asleep during that? How long was I asleep?" She let out a sigh before standing up, heading to the door. As she stepped out, she let out a sigh at the sun near the horizon in the east. "So, I made him give up his bed because of that…" As she looked around, she saw him crouched down, carefully pulling small grass and weeds out of the ground nearby. "Marcus…" she started, causing him to look over his shoulder before standing up. "I-I'm sorry about taking your bed…"
The man stood up, brushing the dirt off his hands and pants as he turned to face her. "Isolda, don't worry about it. You needed it more than I did, and I'd be a poor host if I made you sleep outside or on the ground after you were so upset," he said before pausing. "How… are you, by the way?"
Isolda let out a sigh. She had to admit that part of her felt like this was just an overreaction as she recounted what happened. "I just… I can't believe someone can be that cruel heartless…" she muttered as she mentioned the fox getting killed.
Marcus let out a sigh, rubbing his jaw as he glared in the general direction of the larger clearing. "We were made to eat plants, animals, or both… Julius, strangely, insists on only eating meat. Even I have a bit from time to time, but I'm usually more selective in what ones I pick so that none of them die out completely. Still… I have an agreement that the others can hunt for food in the woods if they need to."
"I-I know that, but he wasn't killing it for food. All he wanted was the fur… That fox spent hours following me around while I was here, and I let it sit in my lap…" Isolda started before Marcus looked at her in surprise.
"Just the fur? Nothing else?" he asked, causing the woman to shake her head nervously. He let out a frustrated growl as he walked over to the small cabin, grabbing his cloak of the ground and quickly putting it on.
Isolda blinked in confusion as she watched him wander down the path. "Wait, where are you going?" she asked as she started following the man, pausing when he looked back.
"I want to see this for myself…" the man muttered as he continued down the path, Isolda in tow.
After a moment's hesitation, the woman decided to speak up. "So, the others can only hunt for food according to your arrangement?"
Marcus shook his head as he stepped over a tree root growing out of the ground. "No, the agreement is that if they hunt, it has to be only because they need to or when they intend to use as much of what they kill as possible. I know at least one of the others has carved a few trinkets out of bones after a kill and took the fur, so I trusted that they respected this agreement."
Isolda took a moment to think about this. "You think that this isn't the first time, then?" she asked, causing the man to shake his head.
"No, and I doubt it'll be the last…" he muttered as he came around the bend. Isolda let out a sad sigh as she saw the skinned fox sitting in the middle of the path where Julius had left it. "…And I also believe it was agreed nobody would hunt this close to my home." He was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard a sad sigh behind him, causing him to growl before getting up, continuing along the path. "Julius has done more than enough to anger me today…"
Modern day, Bastion, In the bathroom with Winter
Winter let out a gasp as she stepped back, looking on in confusion as her eyes went back to their normal blue. She shook her head and gave a weak laugh as she leaned forward. "I-I'm just… I'm just imagining things… That must be it, the last few weeks have just left me drained and my mind is wandering…" she thought to herself before looking back into the mirror with a frown. Seemingly from some long-forgotten instinct, her eyes shifted to silver briefly before returning to their blue. "…right?" She took an uneasy step back before getting dressed, stepping out to find Aurelius holding Luctus. She blinked in surprise as she realized the blade was split into various plates, not having time to notice anything about what was within as they closed, leaving the blade appearing a single flawless piece of metal. "perhaps he combined it with the rifle he used as Bisman?" she thought, pushing back the slight pang of something she felt at the knowledge the blade was modified
"Is something wrong, Winter?" he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You look… disturbed."
She blinked and rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "I'm fine… The events since the attack on Vale have been… tiring," she said, getting a slow nod from the Blue Rose.
"If you say so…" he muttered, causing the woman to spin to face him.
"Are you implying that I'm being insincere?" she growled, causing the wolf to raise his hands cautiously.
"No, I wasn't. I was merely trying to suggest that perhaps there's something that's troubling you," he said quickly.
Winter pinched the bridge of her nose as she sighed. "Is there something else we could talk about instead?" she asked.
Aurelius nodded. "Yes, actually. It seems Ruby's asked Tai to organize a party for the Winter Festival and he's asked me to help set everything up," he said, causing the woman to raise an eyebrow.
"She asked Tai to handle it instead of Qrow? Considering the fact that she's recently accepted him as her father…" she started before Aurelius shook his head, a small smile on his face.
"This is Qrow you're talking about. Like Ruby told me when I asked her, if you want everyone to have a good time and remember it, you let Tai handle it. If you want it to descend into a drunken orgy of depravity and want everyone to wake up without remembering it, you ask Qrow," he said, getting a smile from Winter.
"I suppose you're right… Especially considering the fact that he's been caught having sex with Summer… was it ten times?"
"Twelve," Aurelius said, frustration clear in his voice. "I really wish they'd finish "making up for lost time" soon so we can stop having to deal with this."
Winter shrugged and stepped over, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps we should get going. I'd hate for Qrow to hijack the party because nobody else is there to stop him," she said, smiling at the Blue Rose's shudder before stepping to the door, forcing down the sensation from earlier.
And this chapter is finally done, after almost three months. I'm so sorry it took this long everyone. For those wondering, the chapter's title is both meant to tie the modern Winter Festival with Sanctuary's "Isolda's Day" that it developed from. Unlike Christmas for us, where many treat it as a time to give gifts mostly, Isolda's Day/the Winter Festival is actually very light on physical gifts and more about good deeds, spending time with others, and giving them what they truly need. Back in Sanctuary's golden age, someone might help a person that needs food by agreeing to spend their own time helping them learn to grow their own gardens, or they might make blankets for someone who needs them rather than how many people today might simply buy them. This, again, is inspired by Isolda's habit of putting aside time every year to make sure the needs of others were met on what became her day, as Aurelius stated, on top of the post-War of Roses exodus making physical gifts you could buy with money of any kind an impossibility and reestablishment of civilization elsewhere causing people to create a tradition of helping others rather than simply giving gifts.
Also, Isolda's horror at the fox getting killed in this chapter isn't meant to convey that she can't stand the thought of killing animals for any reason, but to serve as an indicator of her nature relative to Julius' and as a reminder: while she might be an adult, she's actually maybe a few weeks old, with her first encounter with Marcus/Aurelius being something that happened in her first few days of existence. Likewise, Marcus at this point, or his stance on the situation, is meant to be inspired by a few Native American traditions I've read about. Often, it was considered by various tribes to be wasteful or, from a spiritual stand point, wrong to kill anything for a single purpose. Some tribes tried to make use of as much of an animal as possible, while others are believed to have mastered a technique to remove bark from a tree for building small boats without outright killing it. I'm not sure how many of these stories are true, but it's an interesting way to look at things.
