Authors Note: Alright, here it is. Finished it today.
If you don't want to be spoiled, don't translate the Grimm.
Any real world language used in this story will probably be a grammatical nightmare to any one who speaks any of them. As much as I would love to know every language perfectly like Saint Germain, I am just an American.
"I don't own any of the series I write FF of. I only own my OC's and my unique aspects added to the story. I don't own any music or songs possibly mentioned, they are just recommendations. I don't own the Dragon/Dovahzul Language, all credit goes to Bethesda Softworks. All credit of Rwby goes to RoosterTeeth."
Chapter 16: Heimwärts Gebunden.
The ride out of Fridarheim had been euphoric, some probably would say triumphant. But it was quiet all the same, as the two Kingdomers rode once again with two Barbarians. They had rode up the road that he and his Mentor had came down with Astrid and Floki two days ago. It was ironic, they had arrived at a still-standing Fridarheim talking, and left a destroyed one in silence. The two Highlanders were quiet and stoic, their eyes scanned the woods along with him and Duncan.
They had been traveling for twenty-something minutes so far, the woods now surrounded them, and Fridarheim had long been lost from sight. Siegfried had took his helmet off, and strapped it to the side of his steed. His crimson hair flowed in the air as the current came through. The trees rustled gently as he took in the serenity of nature. Despite its inherent danger, he loved rural life. The wind, the rain, the snow, the sparkling sun, the moon stars were all enhanced by it.
If only he didn't have to worry about an army of Grimm.
'Mantus, that…Grimm.' He thought back on it, the fearsome look it had. 'Could I, or anyone defeat that?' If Skoth was a struggle, he'd imagine that one would be a nightmare. He couldn't shake the feeling he had, the one that lurked in the back of his mind. The same feeling he had seven years ago, the same feeling seeing that Dragon gave him. A feeling of dread, combined with their sheer aura of power.
"Keep your eyes open." Boudicca commanded suddenly, breaking the silence between them all, "We're near where my men died, there might still be Grimm there." He snapped out of his thoughts, and focused on the woods around them. They had traveled on for another three minutes before they saw a clearing up ahead.
It was a gore ridden battlefield, the corpses and limbs of slain men and horses were scattered about. There was a powerful stench of blood and of death. All four of them cautiously rode out into it, and he eyed the slain with pity. It was clear even from a glance that it was Grimm that had fought and won there, for the corpses were torn open, and many parts and pieces were either gone, or partially eaten.
"Brave Men, everyone of them." Fergus said solemnly, "They didn't deserve deaths such as this."
"I tried, but they didn't listen." The Princess said coldly, "They got what they chose." Her words caused him, his mentor and her bodyguard to all look at her.
"These Men gave their lives for you," The Bodyguard said with a tone like steel, "Can you at the very least show them the respect due?" His displeasure at her comment clear for all to see.
She shook her head as she said, "I am thankful for their sacrifice, but they could've lived if they listened to me instead of ushering me on like some child."
"Your the High Queen's Daughter," The Highlander stated with a displeased tone, "You know it's what she'd wanted them to do."
"My Whore Mother isn't here, is she?" Her words were ice. He and Duncan shared a look, while Fergus was flabbergasted.
"Don't speak like that about your Mother." He commanded, his eyes had narrowed, and his expression turned into a scowl.
"Catching feelings now for her, are we Fergus?" She asked with a wry smile as she turned and looked back at him, "Does the Queen have you wrapped around her delicate, seed-stained finger?"
He face palmed, "Princess…" Fergus began, "Do you think such things should be discussed now, here of all places, with these kingdomers with us?"
Looking away, she giggled, "I don't care if they know you fuck my mother or not." Then, she looked back with a expression that could kill, "But don't try to undermine my authority by bringing her up!"
"RYYYYYIIIII!!!!!" A screeching roar echoed through the woods, snapping all four of them to attention, and away from the argument. They all drew their weapons, ready for any potential battle. The sounds of chains rattling echoed through the woods, and a man came running from around a tree, but before he could reach them, the black steel collar around his neck yanked him off his feet, onto his butt.
He was back up in a second, his arms outstretched towards them, and his black-sludge caked mouth foaming as he growled. His brown hair was falling out both atop his head, and his beard. His eyes had become bleeding pits of black and red. The Man's pale flesh had been covered by black veins all over his body, his nails had been replaced by bone-white claws, and his teeth by fangs. His left hand and forearm's skin had been torn into, stripped off by its own hunger. Now, it was pitch black, like a Grimm.
"Cnámh…" She said his name sadly, Siegfried could feel the sadness in her voice.
"Damn monsters," Fergus snarled at the sight, "They purposely did this to him! They couldn't just give him a warriors death!"
"Who was he to both of you?" Duncan asked,
"He was a friend," The Bodyguard answered him, "They all were."
"He was the one that got us our opening to flee…" The Princess spoke, her eyes locked with the Zombie, "He held them off so we could run away like cowards, and then they did this to him…" Boudicca switched hands with her spear, holding it now in her left. She rode her grey colored horse forward, much to its own distress. Coming to a stop, just in front of the walking dead, she sighed, "I'm sorry, old friend. Take solace in the otherworld knowing you will have the honor of being finished off by Gae Assail."
"Raaaaahhh-" It was silenced by a swift jab to its forehead, her silver spear effortlessly stabbed through its skull and brain. The Zombie's arms fell, and went limp, and it's knees bent forward ever slightly. She removed it just as fast, letting the corpse fall backwards as smoke started to emit from his mouth, eyes and arm.
She then put her spear away, and kicked her steed forward again. The Bodyguard signed as he followed, but the Kingdomers were confused. The Young Knight called out to her, "Are you just going to leave these bodies like they are?"
"Yes." She nonchalantly replied.
"But they're your warriors?"
"I know," She stopped her horse, turning around to face them, "They knew the risks of battle might result in them becoming carrion. All warriors should." Turning around, she continued, "We do not have time to properly dispose of them."
His Mentor spoke up with a puzzled voice, "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Neither of the Kingdomers tried to push their luck, they just focused on navigating the cold battlefield. The Mantlean couldn't help but frown at all the dead, there was at least fifty men lying around. Now they were all just mangled and mutilated remains. The urge to puke was great.
Later…
They had decided to make camp at that tree again, much to the wariness of the two Kingdomers. When they had entered the circle, there was an apprehension of dread within them as the memories of the Berserker ran through their minds. It's whining as it melted in green flame still clear, and fresh.
The hanging corpses did little to ease their thoughts in its presence.
Boudicca and her guard quickly paid a toll, and said a prayer to a goddess they called Danu. Which according to the Book of Light, was the sleeping Daughter of Dagda. The personification of the world, which gave birth to mortal life and physical reality. She wasn't meant to be worshipped, but it made sense to him why they would treat such a place as one of her holy spots. It still disgusted him regardless.
They had just gotten done setting up the tents, and getting a fire ready. His stomach rumbled as he dug into his saddle bags, pulling out two cans of spam, and a wrapped handkerchief. All the while Duncan unfolded the foldable Rotisserie he kept on Obsidian over the fire, and got out a pan. The Tuathans watched with interest as Siegfried opened a can, and unwrapped the handkerchief, revealing a knife, fork and spoon. Using the fork, he pried the canned meat out onto a plate, before using the knife to cut it into as many pieces as possible.
"Is that all we have to eat tonight?" The Princess asked with a raised brow, and a small smirk, "Don't you have any Hunting gear, Huntsmen?"
As the Young Knight put the pieces on the pan, his Mentor answered while getting out a spatula, "We usually do, but we kinda were in a hurry on this trip, and didn't think it would take us to Hill Clansman territory." He said shooting his apprentice a look, "Plus, we expected to be able to lodge at different villages and towns, but Hunding was more active raiding than we thought he would be."
"It's a miracle that you're both alive." Boudicca said with a wry smile, "Did you really think a Man who united all of the Goths would be so easily defeated?"
"I didn't no," Duncan admitted, "But me and my Apprentice were concerned, and we were right to be."
The Young Knight shook his head as he spoke, "If you don't want some canned meat, then go try to hunt deer with your spear."
"Heh." She had a mocking smile, "It would be far more proficient than catching a Pig with your hands."
He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, "Do you think we do that before we butcher them or something? All that was is a competition rural towns and villages do sometimes for fun." This raised confusion in her bodyguard,
"Catch…Pigs?" Fergus said with a befuddled look on his face, looking up from his claymore that he was cleaning, "You catch and wrestle Pigs for fun? Instead of hunting Boars, or something more manly like the Caber toss?"
"Hey, I didn't come up with the idea." The Knight shrugged, "And what's a Caber Toss?"
"It's a game for real men," The Tuathan said with a wide grin, "It requires strength and skill. It's-"
"A game where a bunch of men throw long wooden logs into the air." The Princess said bluntly, as she stood up, "Personally, I don't see the purpose of it."
"The Purpose?" The Black Haired Man exasperated, "The purpose is display one's strength-"
"Yes, yes, I know." She interrupted him, making a waving motion with her left hand as she spoke, "And to catch the attention of some delicate maidens. Blah, blah, blah."
"Are you saying you aren't a delicate maiden then?" Siegfried sarcastically asked, a smirk wide across his face. The Princess froze, and gazed at him with a cold intensity. A silence fell upon the camp, as no one spoke. Her piercing eyes threatened to pierce his soul like a spear. "What?" He asked, tired of the unnerving silence.
She responded by swiftly raising her spear, proclaiming, "I am a Princess, and a Warrior, like my Queen Mother." Lowering it, she issued a threat, "Insult me again, Avalonian, and I shall show you how delicate I can be."
He shook his head, closed his eyes, and facepalmed, "By the Light…" Looking back at her, he clarified, "Calm down, I was just poking fun."
"By testing my honor?" She asked with a tilted head, he scoffed.
"If you call that testing your honor, then I'd be concerned for whoever would truly insult you." The Princess was about to go off again, before his Mentor raised his free hand.
"Let's all calm down," Duncan said while flipping the sliced pieces of meat, "I'm sure all of us still are on edge after yesterday's battle. Come, sit by our fire. Let's exchange stories and conversation." He offered the Highlanders with a smile.
Boudicca took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, before opening them and saying, "Very well." The Princess then walked over to the fire, before sitting down onto the ground. Her Bodyguard begrudgingly got up from his spot, holding his sword and rag, and joined them by the fire.
"So," His Mentor began, "What brought you two out to these lands exactly?"
"I'm going to be honest with you, Kingdomers." She began with a tone as frozen as the shores of Solitas, Nullus and Nihil combined, "If we had not fought side-by-side, and I still found out what you did…" Her ice blue eyes bored into them, "I would striked you down in a heartbeat."
Both of them leaned back in shock at her honesty, Siegfried's hand instinctively went to the handle of Balmung on his side. Returning her gaze with one that blazed, he asked, "Why is that?"
"Tch." She then explained stoically, "Because of you two, I must now return to my mother empty handed, with fifty less Fianna."
"Fianna?" The Young Knight asked with a raised eyebrow, "Is that what you call your warriors?"
The Princess nodded, her braided hair draped over her left shoulder, "Yes, more specifically, ones that are equivalent to your Hunters or Knights, or the Goths and Drekalanders Huscarls and Vikings." As she explained, she started to fiddle with her braid with her left hand, "As you know, an warrior with their Aura unlocked is vastly more important than those without." For a brief second, he saw a flash of annoyance on her face, before she buried it under stoicism. "We lost fifty of them, to Grimm no less. Not even our real enemy."
This time, it was his Mentor that spoke, "And who is that?"
Fergus answered while setting his claymore down, "Our land has been embroiled in a brutal civil war. It is-" He was silenced when the Princess raised her hand.
"I'll be the one to explain." She left no room for any objection, "My Mother, Queen Maeve, and her ex husband, King Conchobar, are both fighting for the rulership of the Confederacy." Boudicca told them as she looked into the fire, "The war has been going on for five years, and things have drastically shifted from our favor." Looking up from the flames, and at them, she admitted, "My Mother gave me the task to secure an alliance with Hunding at any cost, even if I had to marry him."
"She wanted you to marry him?" Siegfried asked with disgust. The thought of any parent marrying off their Daughter to him of all people gave him a bad taste in his mouth.
"Only if there was no choice," She said with a tone that betrayed her words, "We wanted, and needed the army of warriors with aura he was gathering." Her left hand tightened into a shaking fist, "That, and perhaps his own skill, would've been the edge we needed to defeat our greatest obstacle."
"Obstacle?"
Fergus then spoke, answering their curiosity, "Queen Maeve has more warriors than Conchobar, but he has a great warrior worth a thousand of ours."
His Mentor quirked his eyebrows, "Who is it?"
"My and his Nephew, a ferocious warrior named Sétanta." Fergus said with some pride, a smile on his face as he spoke, "Ever since he returned from his time with that tribe, he has been unmatched in battle, and has single handedly turned the tide to the point things are dire for Maeve's faction."
"This guy is your nephew?" The Young Knight was confused.
"Yes, my half brother, and his sister are married." The Smile on his face quickly became a frown, "Infact, I have many friends and family on his side."
Then his Mentor asked another question himself, "Why are you fighting him then?"
"A few different reasons…" The Highlander said with a bitter tone, "A woman I once loved stabbed me in the heart, tricked me into giving my birthright to her bastard son." And then with a snarl, he added, "And that Bastard betrayed my honor, and killed my son."
Both of the Huntsmen found themselves speechless as the spam fizzled on the pan. Boudicca's face was solemn, and Fergus' held his visible rage back. Siegfried felt his mouth move as he spoke, "I'm…sorry to hear that." He told him, "That's horrible…"
"You don't have to tell me, Kingdomer." The Man said with a tired tone, "I just want this war over with before anymore of my friends or family fall."
Scratching the back of his head, Siegfried sheepishly spoke, "Well, I apologize that we kinda removed your option for an ally."
The Princess chuckled, "How cute." She mocked with a grin, her left hand coming to her mouth. "Are you going to give us something for taking away our ally?" Her voice like one speaking to a toddler.
"If I was, not now." He grinned himself, not taking her bait.
She shrugged, as she then sighed, "In all honesty, chances are we'd not remained allies long. From all I've heard, he was worse than Conchobar and my Mother combined." His Mentor grabbed the plates by him, as he then placed the pieces of meat on them.
"Well he did want to conquer Vale." Duncan asked, "Does either your mother, or your enemy want that?" She scratched her chin as she thought.
"We couldn't do it now even if we wanted to." Boudicca admitted, "Our peoples numbers have been thinning with this idiotic war. It's bad enough that yours, and the Goths ancestors drove us from our ancestral lands, but now we're killing each other for two people who only care about themselves." With a grimace, she added, "The only way we theoretically could even come close is if we used our greatest warrior to fight it for us alone." She shrugged again as she finished, "But I doubt even one such as himself could fight a whole kingdom alone."
"Do you want some food?" Duncan asked, showing two free plates as he handed one to his apprentice.
"Is that meat all you have?" She asked.
"It's all we're going to eat right now." He explained, "We've got to preserve our supplies incase something happens."
She looked at the fried pieces of meat, "Isn't this…meager?"
"Yeah, you don't need to eat and drink all the time." He watched his Mentor began as he took his fork, and started to eat his food, "People in our profession need to be able to go without, and preserve supplies on a long hunt." Duncan explained, "Whenever we're on quests like this, we try to strike a fine balance with eating, and fasting." It was true, they often tried to maintain a three-to-two day interval when it came to eating while out in the wild. It helped them with endurance and discipline, and it made him not feel too bad when he feasted after returning home.
Of course, it's better when they aren't running dry on supplies. After all, there's some variety then.
The Princess nodded, before saying, "I suppose there is wisdom in that for people who travel the lands all the time. But I can assure you most of you Hunters don't abide by that."
"Most certainly." Duncan then held out a plate, and asked in a deadpanned tone, "Do you want our meat or not?"
"Sorry," She held up her hand in refusal, a smirk on her face, "I'm not like my Mother, I don't just accept anyone's." His Mentor looked at her in bewilderment, all the while, he and the Bodyguard started to shake. Siegfried had to put his hand over his mouth as a laugh wanted to escape his lips at the sight, but the Highlander didn't contain his, letting out a boisterous and hardy laugh.
"Rejection hurts, doesn't it?!" He said while clutching his gut. Duncan couldn't help but look at the three of them puzzled. Lowering the plate of meat he held, ge thought about it for a moment.
"Why would I be hurt over her not wanting any of our meat…" It clicked in his old, married mind. "Oh…" Duncan said with a flat face. His Apprentice couldn't contain his laugher any longer, as it finally broke free through his lips. Both he and the Bodyguard struggling to not roll over.
The Princess patted his shoulder, "Sorry, I'm not into older men." Before grabbing the plate from his hand, "But I will take your offer of food."
A sad smile appeared on his lips as the fire illuminated his face, his mind wandering, "That reminded me of a joke some old friends would make back in Beacon." His apprentice finally stifled his laughter, before seizing the opportunity.
"Who were they?" Siegfried asked after he had quelled his laughter, hoping to get one of the rare moments Duncan talked about Beacon.
Closing his eyes, he thought back to the simpler days when he was just a student, before everything got so serious. "Just a dusty, old crow, and a womanizer." He said as nostalgia gripped his heart, "One of the worse things about growing up is when you lose touch with old friends through distance, work and mortality."
"But with the internet, and scrolls, and transportation, isn't that all amendable?" He posed. After all, as much as he didn't prefer it, he could message everyone back at Ansel every day if he wanted.
"Perhaps," The Old Huntsman mused, "But most of my friends are either dead, or too consumed by work or their families. Nicholas is the only one that I can keep up with that isn't related to my work, and that's purely because we are neighbors."
"You know, we've been to Vale before." He mentioned after taking a bite out of a piece of meat, "Why haven't we ever visited any of your friends there?" The only thing he knew about his Mentor's past from Beacon was that he was apart of Team WNDR (Wonder) with his Father's last name as the W, Nicholas the N, Duncan the D, and some Solanese knight named Rodrigo as the R. His Father was dead, and Rodrigo was in his homeland. Everyone else was never really elaborated on, only in passing here and there.
"One is too busy with his daughters, the others are always working, and the rest are either staff at Beacon, Haven or Atlas." Duncan explained, "Besides, I'm always too busy myself with everyone back home. My Boys need me, and you, Jaune and Wayland have needed my teachings."
"You know…" A thought entered his mind, "Why don't you become a professor at Beacon?"
The Old Huntsman chuckled "My Brother and my Wife wouldn't let me." Then, he looked around at the woods around them, and the sky above them, "And I prefer rural life too much to urban life to move there."
"What is Vale like?" The Princess asked, "Is it really as big as they say?"
"Yes," Duncan answered her, "As big as that Peninsula it was built upon."
"All those people, living there, compact." Her expression made her seem like she was sucking on a lemon, "Sounds like that would be horrendous."
Siegfried partially agreed with her, "Depends on where you go there. Some places in Vale are idyllic. Others are dangerous to walk through, even during the day."
"Well, I have no plan on ever going there." She said with firm conviction, "The last thing I'd want to deal with is some Kingdomer rabble."
"Fair enough."
Time passed by, as they finished their food, and prepared themselves to sleep. It was agreed that Duncan would take first watch. The Tuathans were sleeping while he decided to speak with his Mentor, who was sitting by the fire with a map of Vale in his hands. "So what is our destination, Duncan?" He asked his Mentor as he approached, causing him to look up from his thoughts.
"I'm glad you asked." He said before looking down back at it, his finger pointing at a city marked with a dot, "Consulting the map, I think the quickest route would be through Venta."
With a sigh, he asked, "Do we really have to go through there?" It was a city known for…its views on Faunus, and a decent amount of distrust and disgust of foreigners like him.
"It's the closest city, and the railway there links up to the town of Pharis, which is only two or three hours away from Ansel." Duncan moved his fingers to the different locations, before going back to Venta, and then southwards. "The only other cities are Randmund and Caertaff in the south. The closest town that we could hop on a train is Victorfield south from Venta, an additional five hours of a trip, with more chances for an interruption."
"I guess it's the preferable option." Siegfried pinched his nose at the thought, "I just hope we don't run into any trouble there."
"Don't jinx us Sieg." The Old Huntsman quipped with a grin.
"Me? A Jinx?" He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah right." Then, he pointed at himself with his thumb, "I'm a good luck charm."
"Go to bed, Lucky Charms." His Mentor folded his map close, "We have a long day tomorrow."
"Aye," He nodded as he turned around, "Goodnight, Old Man."
"Goodnight, Boy."
Seven Years Ago…
The room was cold, despite the heating from the vents. He sat alone at a metal table in a room with no windows. There were two metal seats, one was across, and the other he sat in. Tapping his small finger to try and distract him, he couldn't help but be nervous. His Sister was in a infirmary, getting treated and checked out by their doctors. All the while, he sat and waited.
Duncan had asked him if he'd wanted to be interviewed, so that he could give his account of what happened at Einsam. A few of the other survivors were and had as well. The only reason he agreed is that the Huntsman had mentioned that if they got the right details, they could possibly find and stop that monster from razing any other town or village.
He didn't think it would take this long, or be somewhere so uncomfortable. Even with the sweater and jacket he was given, the cold bit through to him. Only the hum of the vents, and of the airship, were making any sound. Other than that, the room was completely soundproof. He couldn't hear whatever they were doing outside, or whatever anyone might be saying.
Siegfried was starting to regret doing this, the wait alone was torturous. The urge to slump over and sleep was great, he hardly could in the small section of the hanger they had clumped all the people without injuries during the flight to Fort Eisen. And even though they had arrived, they still hadn't been kicked out of the Airship yet.
The door opened automatically, sliding apart as Duncan and another man entered the room. His eyes instantly were drawn to him. He was very tall, clean shaven, with neat black hair swept to the left, a tinge of grey starting to develop on the sides of his head. His eyebrows were thick, and his eyes sharp and blue. There was a noticeable strip of grey metal above his right eye, sticking out of his pale skin. But the most eye catching thing about him was his clothes, they were all colored white, blue, red and black.
He wore a white military trench coat with dark blue cuffs, dark blue and red accents and silver buttons. Underneath, a solid white jacket with a dark blue collar, with red arabesque embroidery. Then there was the dark blue uniform pants tucked into a pair of calf high black leather boots with red lining and large cuffs alongside silver steel toe and heel plating. He could a bit of a black belt at his waist, the man's belt buckle was red, and displayed the white eagle of Atlas, with blue engraved words saying 'Einigkeit, Loyalität, Pflicht'.
In one hand with a white glove, he held his hat, a dark blue peaked cap with a red band around it, and a black visor with white cords above it. At its center, there was a red shield, agin displaying the white eagle of Atlas. The Man walked over to the table, pulled the chair out with his exposed hand, then sat and placed his hat down.
Siegfried was slacked jawed. In front of him was one out of the three most powerful men of Atlas, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Land, Sky and Sea.
The Man began as Duncan leaned against the wall, "Firstly, I would like to commend you for your bravery and strength. Not many your age would want to be interviewed about what had happened so soon." He offered his gloveless left hand, "I am Field-Marshal James Ironwood, it's nice to meet you, Siegfried Walsung."
He hesitatingly shook the Marshal's hand, both out of surprise and caution. It was hard to not know who he was, he was a Atlesian War Hero from the Civil War, who was hated by most Mantleans everywhere. Siegfried remembered watching his inauguration ceremony on TV at school two years ago after Marshal Drux resigned due to the onset of Dementia.
The Boy couldn't help but be confused, why would someone this high on the Atlesian totem pole be personally interviewing someone as low as him? He had expected some officer, or a Specialist. His confusion must've been quite visible, because the Marshal addressed it.
"You're puzzled as to why I would be interviewing you myself?" Ironwood asked rhetorically, "It's because my top priority is to stop that Grimm, and ensure it doesn't endanger anyone else." He explained, the Redheaded Boy scoffed.
"Protect Atlas you mean?" Siegfried replied with a spiteful tone, to which the Field Marshal responded stoically.
"All of Solitas is apart of Atlas." He said while putting his elbows on the table, and placing his gloveless hand over his gloved one, "My duty is to the people. Both those in Atlas, and beyond."
"Then why wasn't your army anywhere near our home?" Siegfried countered, to which Ironwood sighed.
"As much as I would love to garrison my troops everywhere I realistically could, there are set priorities by the Reichsrat and Reichstag that I must follow." He elaborated, his tone one of minor annoyance, "If I were to supercede my checks and balances too much, I would risk a case with the Reichsgericht, and I'd be paralyzed from doing anything even remotely helpful for anyone."
"So what you're saying," The Boy began with a cold tone, "Is that Atlas won't allow you to protect towns and villages like mine?"
"What I'm saying is, that our Kingdom has priorities." The Marshal stated, "We only have so much manpower, we have to protect what is strategically important." Gesturing with his gloveless hand, he added, "That is why Schnee Private Security guarded Einsam. It was their responsibility to defend what we couldn't, as per the SDC's agreement with the Kingdom."
The Boy snapped, slamming his fists down upon the table, "They ran like a bunch of Feiglingen!"
"I know." Ironwood nodded, "I understand your frustration with the Kingdom, I really do, but that is not why I am here." Setting his hands down, "I'm here to try and prevent this from happening anywhere else."
"What is it you need?" Siegfried asked angrily, a scowl on his face.
The Marshal calmly asked, "What can you tell me about what happened in Einsam?"
His face contorted in pain, "It all started with a earthquake…"
Ironwood listened to his story diligently, only inquiring on details here and there. Siegfried told him everything that happened, with exception of the Wanderer. By the end of it, the Marshal had a solemn look on his face. Duncan on the other hand, had remained silent for the entire duration of the interview. Instead he leaned against the wall, and just listened.
"I must commend you again," Ironwood praised, "Many your age would've not survived in that terrible situation. Because of you, your sister is alive, and now stable."
"I'm just…" He sputtered, "I'm just confused." Thinking back what it potentially said to him, "Why did the Grimm speak? What did it say? How did it even do it?"
"Intelligent Grimm just have the capacity to speak." Ironwood explained, "As to what they say, and what they mean, it's a complete mystery." The Marshal looked agitated as he thought, "Not even our top scientists have been able to crack it, they've only managed to translate the meanings of certain words."
"So…that Grimm did all that, deliberately?" He concluded, a cold fire started in his chest.
"That is the proper conclusion." Ironwood leaned back in with his hands interlocked together, "And your account coincides with the ones from others. It called Grimm to Einsam, and plenty crawled out of its chamber." Leaning back, he concluded, "And it flew away after it was done, leaving everyone that was left alive, and called off the Grimm it summoned…" A silence grew over the room, and no one spoke for a minute or two, before the Marshal took a deep breath. "I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this," His eyes were full of sympathy and pity, "It's something no child should have to." Before then standing up out of his chair, and grabbing his hat, "Thank you for the interview Siegfried." Putting it on his head, and straightening it, he gestured to the Huntsman. "Duncan here will take you back to your sister. When she is well enough, I shall take you to your Uncle myself."
"Thank you, Sir." Siegfried said quietly, to which the Field Marshal nodded, before walking out of the room with his hands together behind his back, and a purpose in his step. The room was left in silence again briefly, before the Boy looked at the silent Huntsman, "So, you know the Marshal?"
"We have friends in the same circles." He answered, before shrugging, "I didn't expect him to come interview you himself, but I guess it makes sense knowing his personality."
"Hey…I got a question." He asked with a drawl.
"What is it?"
"How can I kill that Dragon?"
The Next Morning…
They had left that campsite early in the morning, and they had rode for an hour. The four of them had concluded that their paths will diverge around noon or the evening, when they should near the road to the Tuathans land. And they should be near Mossshire before the end of the night. Their ride was mostly done in silence, with very little chitchat as they trodded down the dirt roads.
The hour stretched into two hours as they rode, and two became three. There was no sign of Grimm, nor was there any other soul nearby. Siegfried felt boredom slowly eat away at him, as he glanced at Boudicca, before deciding to attempt a conversation with the stoic Princess.
"So," He started, "What are you going to do when you get home?"
"I do not know," She replied, "My Mother will be pissed, and I will be ridiculed by everyone for failing my task."
"I can imagine," He said sympathetically, "Once again, I'm sorry for making things difficult."
"It is what it is, Kingdomer." She shrugged, "I just got to face her bitching." Her words were dripping venom.
"Why do you despise your mother so much?" He inquired, curiosity getting the best of him.
"I don't despise her." She admitted, "I just think she and Conchobar are not worthy of being the rulers of our people." Boudicca looked at him as they rode, "They care about no one but themselves, and they both treat men and women as tools." Looking forward, she shook her head. "If I were High Queen, I would've built our people up, and invaded Vale and the Goths for some of our ancestral territory. Fight a war that we'd actually gain something from."
"Well," He said flabbergasted, "I'm glad you are not in charge then."
"Thus, you prove my point." She flashed him a smirk.
"Thank the Lord it is not so." He prayed, "Dagda truly blesses us with your Leaders incompetence."
"You know, my people believe in the same faith as you." She said suddenly, "In fact, we-"
"Unreformed, and unrefined." He cut her off, "For example, I know for a fact your people don't read the Book of Light, and believe in several cultural figures that were mortal as divine."
"But we do believe in your savior." She said with childlike exaggeration, her lips curling up in mischief.
"Yeah, so does most of the world." He scoffed at her, "Uniting it tends to do that. What is it that your people call him?"
"Ruarcc," She said matter of factly, "Rather different from your Sigurd."
"No different than Fereydun to the Vacuans, Raitaro to the Mistriali, or Heracles to the Hellenes." He deflected, "Every culture has took his legends, and adapted them to fit their own heathen ones. To make his great deeds compatible with their own heroes. The only things we can agree to was that he was a divine incarnation of a god, who defeated the Archdemon, and united the world, before everyone of our leaders betrayed him." He stuck his nose up in the air, "And he made Avalon his capital, bestowing a blessing of authenticity to my people. One yours does not have, that it desperately wants."
"Your people are frauds," She snarled, "You took our gods, and molded them into tools for your invasive culture."
"It's not our fault our ways were superior to yours." He shot her a angry look.
"Yeah, and that's why Vale was the Avalonian culture that triumphed over the rest, with its vast influence from Minoan, and later Hellene migration." The sarcasm in her voice caused his skin to tingle.
"Says the Princess of a people with the smallest amount of land in the world."
"What do you know-"
"Shut up!" They both were silence by the voice of Fergus, looking ahead, they saw that both he and Duncan had stopped their horses as they entered a clearing. Halting their steeds, both the Princess and the Knight got serious at the expressions of their companions.
"What's going on?" Boudicca asked stoically, her emotions from seconds ago banished to the back of her mind.
A loud sigh echoed throughout the forest, as a rough, yet young voice spoke, "Looks like the jig is up." Siegfried and Duncan both noticed the Highlanders eyes widen at that voice. "Should've know we wouldn't get the jump on you, even with those two acting like a married couple."
Out of the woods in front of them came a swaggering man.
It was a man that looked to be his age, with hair that was black, and messy. His front bangs were combed to his left, and his long hair in the back was tied up in a ponytail. His complexion was as pale as him, and his eyes crimson as blood. On the entirety of his left arm, and on his right shoulder with a single pauldron, around his waist with a fauld, he wore black armor with red designs. Across his left shoulder, there was a bundle of black fur, with a short black shoulder cape hanging from it. His leather boots were black with red designs, so was his leather cuirass and pants. But these were admittedly the least interesting things about him. The three things that caught his eye were the wolf or dog ears atop his head, the crimson spear in his hand, and the smarmy grin on his face.
He walked out into the middle of this clearing. A red, winged spear was laid out across his shoulders, his arms hooked over it. When he stopped, he said, "Fergus, Boudicca, it's been a while."
"Sétanta…" The Bodyguard said as he drew his claymore, "Why are you here?!" Siegfried remembered that name from yesterday, and the realization kicked in.
"I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd stop by and say hi." He said in a sarcastic tone, "But seriously, Uncle Conchobar sent me to either capture or kill you, Uncle." He cut to the chase, "Boudicca too."
"Truly, you have become his hound." She spat, he scoffed.
"Good to see you too." He remarked before getting back to the matter at hand, "Now, I gotta ask," Dozens of Men came creeping out of the woods all around them, "Are you two going to please surrender?"
"I will never kneel before that Bastard again!" Fergus proclaimed, his rage surprising the Kingdomers in its ferocity.
The Princess, not content to be silent, added, "And I won't be at that treacherous man's mercy."
"Damn, feisty as ever." The Faunus said with closed eyes, "Fate is quite cruel." The Young Knight observed him intently. Besides being the first Faunus he saw in a while, there was an air of danger around this man. If Hunding was a bear trap, he was a Iron Maiden.
"I must admit, I am surprised." Sétanta said, looking at them with his own observational gaze, "Our spies had reported that you left with fifty Fianna," Siegfried felt his red eyes fall on him, piercing him like a spear, "And all I see is two Kingdomers with you." He chuckled, "Is this what Hunding gave you? Two Mercenaries?"
"Hunding is dead." The Princess told him. Siegfried braced himself for a wild reaction…but there was none. A look of disappointment flashed across his carefree countenance.
"Well, damn, I'm kinda disappointed to hear that." He set the blunt end of his spear into the ground as another shit eating grin grew on his face. The spear looked like it was made out of blood, it's handle looked like it was wrapped around in veins. "I~oh~so looked forward to letting Gae Bulg taste that monsters blood." He began with a drawl, he then looked at them, "I must know, who stole my prey?" There was a subtle madness in his eyes, one that went wide at the thought of battle.
He didn't even think, he just spoke up, "I did." The Tuathans all looked at him as he rode to the front, making his companions all look at him as well.
With a tilt of his head, Sétanta asked, "And you are?"
"Siegfried Walsung." He announced boldly, the Faunus scratched his chin with his gauntleted hand.
"Well, considering your accent and name, I'm going to guess you're a Atlesian." He deduced, "It's been quite a while since I got to kill an Atlesian."
"I'm a proud Son of Mantle." He interjected, "Don't dishonor me by referring to me as one of them."
"Regardless, you still are a Kill-Stealer." The Man shrugged, "You can call me Cúchulainn." He properly introduced himself, "Those two just can't let my old name go."
(A/N: Basically, he looks like a modified and color scheme swapped, and Faunus version of Fate/Prototype Cúchulainn, with the alternative version of Gae Bolg)
"That's a mouthful." He sarcastically replied, "Sounds like the name of a place, rather than a person."
"Hey, I didn't choose the nickname," He waved his left arm, "I just accepted it."
The Princess interrupted their conversation, "Sétanta!" She shouted, "Are we going to fight, or what?" She had her spear out in her right hand, he just scratched his chin.
"Hmm…" He stood in thought, before a grin flashed across his face, "Tell me, Kill-Stealer, how did you do it? How did you defeat the Blood-Axe?"
"We dueled in Single Combat," Siegfried answered him honestly, "I, and I alone defeated him." He knew he was dangerous, but after everything he went through the these last couple of days, he wouldn't cower before this man.
"You know what, since you look a lot like an Asshole I used to train with, and the fact that you defeated that guy in a duel…" He snapped his fingers with his free hand, "How about we make this interesting? Instead of me just regretfully slaughtering you all," Suddenly, he pointed his spear forward, "Me and you duel, one-on-one."
"I accept." He said resolutely, to which all three of his companions looked at him with wide eyes.
"Are you insane Boy?" Fergus asked, "Do you not remember what I said last night?"
"Yeah, and I don't care." He responded calmly, "After everything I've overcome so far, I'm not going beg for mercy from some Highlander Faunus."
"You got guts." Cúchulainn said with a smile, "And to make it more fair, and more exciting, I'll limit myself." He added, to surprise of everyone, "I won't use my Ríastrad, unless you use your semblance. And I'll limit my Gae Bulg to three shots."
"Fine by me, I just unlocked my semblance anyway." He accepted that term, before pointing at his spear, "So that's a Mecha-shift weapon?"
The Faunus looked at it, and then gave it a twirl, "Yep, a gift from my Teacher." He then changed the subject, "So here's how it's going to go." The Tuathan began, "Me and you will duel here, in front of our comrades. If you survive say…eleven minutes, then I shall let you all go free." He frowned, "However, if I manage to kill you before that time is up, then I'm afraid I'll have to kill those three as well."
"What if I kill you before the time is up?" Siegfried asked, to which the Faunus began to laugh.
"HA! The balls on you!" He leaned his crimson spear against his shoulder, "It would take a miracle for you accomplish that, to do what thousands of others could not."
"Don't underestimate your opponent." The Huntsman-in-Training said as he climbed down off Grane, "And are you going to swear by honor?"
"Yeah, yeah, I swear by my honor I won't betray this agreement," Cúchulainn said impatiently, "Yo, either of you Kingdomers got a scroll?"
"Yeah, what for?"
"For the timer, what else?" He gestured to everyone around them, "I don't trust either of our parties to not stop our duel prematurely." The Young Knight pulled out his scroll, ignoring the messages, he went to the time app, and prepared a timer for twelve minutes, to give them extra time to start.
"Alright, I've got it set." Looking up from it, he told him, "All it needs is to be pressed, I added an extra minute so we don't have to rush the beginning."
"Just more time for me to kill you." A wild smile spread across the Faunus' face, "Come forward Kingdomer!" He shouted, twirling his spear, "Let Gae Bulg taste the steel that fell the Blood-Axe!"
Siegfried looked back at his companions. The Tuathans looked at him grimly, like he was already dead. His Mentor on the other hand, gave him a nod and a smile. That was all he needed. He pressed the timer, and shut his scroll. Before walking forward, and unsheathed Balmung.
Authors Note:
Behold! A random encounter in the overworld. How will this end?
I know I said One chapter last End Author's note, and well, it's still technically true.
Next Update: Maybe next Friday, or the one after that. Depends on what Randomly Generated Events happen in my life.
I'm open to all criticism (I'm writing Fanfiction to improve my writing after all), So please review and give me your honest opinions. If you like it, please be sure to favorite or follow.
Reviews:
RonaldM: Yeah, though the ideas for completely new ones that aren't mythologically inspired are going to be hard.
Rangda: I'm glad you like the story so far. Ironically, some of the lore for the Grimm in this story is inspired by Chaos from Warhammer, and Daedra from TES. On Siegfried, it's complicated. He's not afraid of talking about his feelings to a girl, per say, but instead, there's other factors that makes it complicated for him. To put it simply but cryptically, he's more concerned about the outcomes, than facing the problem. Because either way, he looses in his eyes. That's all I can say about that without spoiling it. On being ready to take responsibility for lives, that's easier for him by a long mile because of the same stuff that makes it harder for him to be honest with that girl.
Gogabert: Agreed, when those stories become like that, it gets ridiculous. And I'm happy to hear my characters seem alright so far.
The Black Knight: Yeah, I have faith that I won't get too bogged down for a while.
I glad to hear that, That section, which was shortened significantly, was inspired by Outlast and some aspects of DS, especially DS3: Awakened. And Dagism will be explored some in later chapters. The Crusades? Well, it's going to explored some once they get to Venta.
My lore isn't perfect, and a hundred percent ironed out, but it's amazing how much that RT have left bare. RWBY really is the best template for Fanfic writers. You can take something vague like the Great War, and mold it into anything. Whereas other fandoms have a lot more rules to break or abide by, like My Hero Academia for example. It's not perfect, but it is basically akin to what RWBY should've been.
Don't worry, it's already been decided, and it won't be like any of those stories. Small Spoiler: The limit is five characters, I won't say who, and how.
Siegfried is based off the three versions of a Dragon-Slaying Hero from Germanic/Norse legend, Sigurd from the Norse Völsunga saga, Siegfried from the Medieval German Nibelungenlied, and the Wagner Opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. To put things simply as to what I meant in the other response, most versions of this myth allude to, or have a love triangle between him, and two other powerful, and vindictive women. Plus there are lines I have read from the Nibelungenlied itself that suggest that nearly every woman from the city he grew up in desired him.
Thanks for the review!