][][]][Kingdom of Atlas above the Kingdom of Mantle][][][]
Winter Schnee walked as fast as she could she couldn't accept it, no she couldn't believe what she just heard.
It had to be a mistake General Ironwood would never agree to let her father pull her from the military.
She soon found herself approaching the general's office. Normally she would have stopped to check if her uniform didn't have any wrinkles, but right now she didn't care for any signs of proper maintenance.
"General I need to." she says but her words stop when she sees that General Ironwood is already waiting for her and her father is standing next to her.
"Good you're here, there's something that I want you to see" the general says to her as a video begins to play.
"These were taken by your father and several people that went to Vale and Aincrad."
"The Arcs have used their influence to rebuild two of the ruins in Vale and are now using them to study the technology that Aincrad uses." he says to her as the video changes from inside a factory to one that someone in an airship took.
"We know that Mitral has done the same but they've done so in two ways one that is doing almost the same thing but they are using it to study the effects of this technology on the environment."
'The other road that they created has a prospering slave market that everyone is benifiting from." he says to her as the video changes and the images of faunus held in cages appear in front of her.
Winter can't believe her eyes, slavery was made illegal years ago.
The video changes from the Arcs castle and how it's surrounded by an insane number of guns, while soldiers are patrolling the outside of it.
The video changes again and it shows the faunus that are being forced to work on things that Winter sees the people of Mistral using.
"We have reason to know that the most of the population of Mistral doesn't even know that the slave market exists much less the existence of the slave factories." the general said to her.
Winter doesn't know what to say, she just knows that she came here for one reason and now she is being shown things that shouldn't exist.
"Winter our family has always employed the Faunus, granted but we have always been consistent in our treatment of them." Winter hears her father say to her.
She wants to yell at him and tell him that he is no different than the people of Mistral or Aincrad who gave the people of Mistral a reason for creating the market.
She glares at her father and is about to yell at him to keep his mouth shut but the man says the one thing that will keep her quiet.
'I would have used Weiss for this but she had to get her face scared."
"You were once a member of high society and you should know that no one wants their son to be with someone that isn't perfect."
"That scratch on your sister's face is something that will hinder her for the rest of her life." her father says to her.
Winter can't help but feel her heart beating inside her chest, She knows that her father is right, but Vale and Mistral aren't anything that Atlas nor Mantle should worry about so why is she being forced to marry someone she has never met?
"Tell me the truth." she demans.
'We have shown you the truth."
"Vale is becoming more dangerous because of its growing military, and technology."
"The council of Mistral isn't above enslaving or selling people that it believes no one will care for." General Ironwood answers her.
"No tell me the real reason you're selling me." she demands to her father.
Winter can accept why the general agreed to her father's decision, she can already see how marrying into the Arc family could benefit Atlas if she used her connection to the Arcs to give Atlas and Mantle access to the Arcs computer system.
What she doesn't know is how her father benefits from this.
"The same reason your grandfather allowed me to marry your mother."
"Winter I have always been this way and you know that your grandfather is no one's fool."
"You marrying that boy will allow our family's wealth to grow."
"Not to mention that we will get access to the alternative energy market that the Arcs have generously made for us." her father explains before his voice becomes colder than Winter ever imagined.
'And because I want your children to have access to the Arc's semblance."
'I'll do it but only if you leave Mantle to me." she says to them, her voice is filled with defeat, but in reality, she is already planning her revenge.
Mantle is a dying kingdom, but maybe she can use it to get back at the two men in front of her, by using the very things that they want against them.
She can only watch as the general and her father silently agree to let her handle the Kingdom of Mantle and before they turn and nod at her.
So with no options left, she begins to plan.
"So when do I leave?" she asks her father.
"Tomorrow, it gives you enough time to say goodbye to the rest of the family."
"Oh and Winter Weiss has decided that she is going to Beacon with or without my blessing, I won't stop her." her father says to her.
Winter doesn't say anything, she wants to yell to say that they can't do this to her, but everyone sacrifices themselves for the kingdom, and this was what the kingdom needed her to do.
But that didn't mean that she would make it easy for it, for them to use her.