We catch up on Yang and company as they continue their journey into the mountains of Menagerie.
Meanwhile, a reckoning comes for House Rose, much to the disdain of Summer and Ruby.
Tags: Plot
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Chapter 8
The leather coat Yang had changed into was comfortable enough. It kept out the elements and stopped her from getting scratched up on the craggy mountainside that had made up most of their climb so far.
She'd cast aside her uniform before they'd broken camp. Asked for Blake's help in burning it alongside anything that would have marked her as a part of Arc's army. Part of her armor - the bracers, gloves, and greaves - she still wore. The gauntlets were essentially her weapons, and while she'd been willing to cast-off any symbolic ties she still had to Monte Cristo, she'd been unwilling to go unarmed.
It had been⦠freeing. Blake and Kali had kept her company as the twin arches turned to ash and the smell of burning leather spread throughout the clearing. Even a few of Blake's new advisors had joined the impromptu vigil. Yang wasn't sure if they understood the significance, but she certainly appreciated the support.
That had been hours ago.
Continuing their trek by night had been a godsend to them the past day. No one had come up the route they'd taken to follow them - not that Blake expected anyone in Arc's army would be able to navigate the path they'd taken as well as the locals had. They'd made very good distance.
Now they were far enough that Blake was confident they could continue their trek during the day. Just so as the terrain had gotten rough enough that she'd discouraged traveling by night. It was a consideration for Yang, because all of the other faunus could see perfectly fine in the dark.
Yang had expressed concern at slowing them down, but had been waved off by Kali who said that while they could see perfectly fine at night, it was still easier for them to travel during the day.
All the same, the blonde had been left unsettled. Whenever she'd turn back towards Kuo Kuana - which was now a small pillar of smoke in the distance - Yang wondered what else was happening across the kingdom.
Because Jaune had only needed a small part of their forces to take Kuo Kuana. Had the raiding begun? Had they taken other cities the same way they had the capitol?
She couldn't imagine that kind of power being brought to bear without Arc being personally present, but part of her worried she was wrong.
Yang Xiao Long was terrified.
She kept a strong front. Neither Blake, Kali, nor the people relying on them could particularly afford to see how shaken she truly was. They'd just lost their homes, many had just lost their families. The very nation that they'd spent their whole lives building and protecting was coming apart at the seams beneath their feet.
They needed her. They needed the huntress, the elite fighter.
But her betrayal had not been enough to stop Arc's conquest. No more than a day had passed since the attack on Menagerie and its capitol had fallen and its king was dead. The royal family had been forced into the hiding, and attacks were going to be starting in the other parts of the kingdom soon.
And Yang knew she could never go back home. Jaune had already suspected betrayal - he'd said as much. It was why she'd decided to bail right then. And if he hadn't discovered it was her yet, it was only a matter of time before someone broke. Be it Sienna or someone else.
It wasn't a question of trust. Yang knew that Sienna would have taken her secret to the grave if she could.
But Arc was a cruel man, and had already proven that he wielded forces beyond anything most of them could contemplate. Gods knew if he had some way to compel Sienna to talk.
Yang scoffed, grimaced. Knowing him, he'd be making her squeal her secrets as he fucked her into submission.
And if it wasn't Sienna, it'd be her stepmother. Summer knew Yang had been against the war from the start, from before the motion had been passed. Yang had begged her stepmother to convince the other members of the council to vote against it. But Summer had only seen the opportunity in currying favor with the Arcs, and had taken the chance presented to her.
It had been that same opportunistic nature of her stepmother's Yang had taken advantage of to get into Arc's personal guard. She'd had the credentials, but it had taken Summer pulling some strings to truly put her in one of the closest positions to heir-apparent Jaune Arc.
She'd wished she'd thought of it sooner. Maybe she'd have been able to figure out how quick of a timeline Arc had truly been working with. Maybe they'd have had more time.
Yang only hoped her little sister would be spared the punishment of her betrayal.
~TtT~
Summer Rose had been feeling a sense of unease all morning now. It had left her unable to really enjoy the breakfast she'd been given. Even her darling daughter had noticed, silver eyes glancing to Summer when Ruby thought her mother wasn't looking.
Even her maids had noticed, Maria - the one that had been with her since before she and Taiyang had gotten married - outright asking her about it when they'd been getting ready to see visitors at her study that day.
But therein lay the problem: Summer couldn't figure out what she was uneasy about.
The first thing that came to mind was that something might have happened to her daughter. But that was unlikely. Monte Cristo to Menagerie, even by their fastest ships, took at least five or six months. Unless they'd encountered an enemy fleet at-sea, there wasn't really much that could have been a threat to them.
And still, a Menagerian fleet? So far from its home waters? Unlikely.
Another thing that it could have been was her husband. Taiyang, too, seemed restless as of late. She'd find him sitting at the loveseat overlooking the street and gazing out into the view with nary a word said between them. He always looked deep in thought, and sometimes she'd catch him clenching his fists so hard she'd need to pry his fingers open to keep the man from hurting himself.
But whenever she'd bring it up, all he'd do is tell her that he was dealing with some hard choices at work and he wasn't sure how to proceed. And while Summer had been tempted to use her position as a counselor to potentially see what was causing her husband so much stress, she'd decided to trust his judgement.
Eventually, validation for her unease had shown itself in the form of an unexpected visitor when she'd started work that day.
"Lord Arc is here to see you, my lady." Maria's hazel eyes were wide, her hands shaking. "And he has men with him."
Summer put her pen down. That⦠wasn't altogether strange. King Nicholas had called on her before, but it usually wasn't necessary to come to her house personally unless there was an emergency. Huh. Perhaps it was that. Had news come back from the front? Was it as she had feared?
"Something must have happened with the fleet." After finishing the remainder of her cup of tea, she stood and straightened her dress. "Did the king mention anything?" Putting on her outer robes, Summer made for the door, "Which sitting room is he in?"
Maria hadn't moved, shaking hands now wrung as she followed Summer's movements, "It's not the king, madame. It's lord Jaune."
Summer froze, her hands had been straightening her robe, and silver eyes met amber. "Lord Jaune Arc is in the middle of the ocean right now. He can't possibly be here."
Despite her words, Summer felt something cold and heavy drop into the pit forming at the base of her belly. Maria wasn't the type to lie to her. Jest, perhaps, and Summer had half a mind to laugh it off and go back to her desk because of how impossible it was for Jaune Arc to be back at Monte Cristo when he was supposed to be on his way to Menagerie to wage that war he started, that war her daughter wanted to join despite her misgivings - even asking Summer to get her a position on Jaune's ship.
But Maria looked so pale, and the way she was shaking like a leaf was too genuine to ignore.
"How in the brothers' namesβ¦"
"Madame! Madame!"
A blur of ash-blonde hair came through the door. It was Amy, one of the kitchen maids. She paused just past the threshold and put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. Her uniform was all out of sorts, the collar so far to one side Summer could see it falling off one shoulder if the girl hadn't been trying to put it back in place.
"There are⦠Ah⦠men⦠madame." She got out between breaths, "Entering the gardens. They're⦠huff⦠Soldiers."
Immediately she was at the windows, and she was greeted with a sight that made her heart stop.
At every gate, at every entrance, were men wearing Arc colors. All armed.
Small mercies that none seemed keen on attacking her people. From her office on the fifth floor, it looked like the soldiers were laid back, relaxed. Some were even talking and laughing with the other servants.
But she knew well enough how quickly that could change.
"Hello, Summer."
Ultramarine eyes, blond hair, and a grin that used to remind her of her dear Taiyang greeted her. Both Maria and Amy bowed at the waist, the latter whispering apologies at her disheveled state. Jaune ignored both.
He had no guards beside him, and he wore no armor.
Instead he had her daughter peeking at her from over his shoulder. Ruby's eyes sparkling, likely at the joy of having a good friend visit unexpectedly.
Brother Gods have mercy.
"Lord Jaune," She gave him a curtsey - the kind expected of their difference in rank, "I'm glad to see you in good health. Though I must admit I hadn't expected a visit from you today."
Ultramarine eyes sparkled with something Summer couldn't identify. Stepping through the threshold, Jaune gave both maids an acknowledging nod before turning back to her.
"It wouldn't be. Between you and me, Summer, I hadn't expected to be making this visit today, either." Looking over his shoulder, he sent her daughter a grin, "Though it's always good to see Ruby."
Her second daughter's giggle chimed like a bell. It lifted Summer's spirits just a bit, but the fact that Jaune was dragging this on made her even more worried.
Briefly, her eyes snapped to the axe that hung on the wall behind her desk, the light of the afternoon sun glinting off the silver blade and brass detailing.
She knew she'd been caught when she looked back to Jaune to see him looking at the same axe before sending her a raised eyebrow. All the same, Summer readied herself to break for the weapon. Jaune was unarmed as far as she could see. At the very least, she'd be able to force him back and she could drag Ruby out through the window and into the dense woodland that surrounded the Rose Estate. Between the rolling hills and the darkness of the canopy, they'd be able to disappear and make their way towards the nearest shipyards.
Because Summer knew what this was even if her daughter had missed it. This wasn't just falling out of favor. The Arcs had come to collect her personally. And while it wasn't exactly an army that had come knocking at her doorstep in a siege, the nobility of Monte Cristo were not permitted to hold more than a household guard. Her men weren't armed to fight anything more protected than a heavy coat.
What had Yang done?
"Good." Jaune purred, one hand resting on his hip, "It seems you have an idea of why I'm here. That'll save us time." Once again he turned to the maids. "Ladies, I need to speak to Madame Summer in close the door on your way out."
Both her servants turned to her immediately. Even Amy had gone pale now, but neither seemed inclined to abandon her. It warmed Summer's heart, and she vowed to reward them for that loyalty if she still got the chance to. With a shallow nod that she hoped Jaune wouldn't notice, she told them to go.
That warmth immediately disappeared when he gestured for Ruby to stay when her daughter moved to follow the maids. In moments, the three were left alone as the sound of the shutting door echoed through the room.
Jaune hadn't waited long, immediately moving once the doors had shut.
Ultramarine eyes studied her as Jaune approached, going up and down in a way that left Summer feeling like stalked prey, or maybe something being examined at the market. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. Not since she'd taken over as head of House Rose, not since she'd become counselor to the king.
She shivered, but fought the urge to hunch her shoulder, to appear smaller.
Even Ruby had noticed the strange energy in the room, black-red brows now furrowed as her eyes met with her mother's over Jaune's shoulder.
"I just arrived from Menagerie, actually." Jaune said matter-of-factly, stopping close enough to Summer that she could feel his breath as he spoke. She wanted to step back, to make distance, but knew that she couldn't afford to look weak right now.
But⦠that wasn't right.
"Menagerie? What do you mean Menagerie?"
His eyes were cold, fathomlessly deep. Unknowable. He smiled down at her as one of his hands landed on her shoulder in a gesture that was not at all appropriate. Summer didn't think Jaune cared about what she felt on the matter anymore, though.
"I didn't think I stuttered." was his response as his thumb ran back and forth. The feeling of it was muted through several layers of clothing, but still it sent a shiver up her spine. "I came from Menagerie this morning."
What?
"But h-how?" She cursed the stutter. "It's h-"
"Halfway across the world!" Ruby interjected. Any humor in her voice was also gone. Summer could see her daughter inching towards the set of rapiers hung to the right of the door. Her eyes were wide, terrified. Her hands shook.
Thank the Brothers her daughter had realized what was going on.
Summer appreciated her daughter's desire to protect them despite her clear misgivings.
"Quite the distance, yes." If Jaune noticed what Ruby was up to, he didn't react to it. Instead, he leaned into Summer. A shadow cast over his face but his eyes looked as bright as ever. "It should tell you how important his visit is."
His hand entered his breast pocket and took out a photo.
"Mind explaining this?"
It was a photo of Yang - her little firecracker - with Blake Belladonna of Menagerie.
Brothers noβ¦
The photo was innocent enough. Summer had only seen it once, but the view from the top of Kuo Kuana's walls was hard to forget. The sunset glinting off the sea, the fishing ships coming back from a day's work, the very distinct architecture of the walls. Her daughter and Menagerie's princess were standing arms over each other's shoulders with their backs to the sea.
Cheek-to-cheek, they had their eyes closed and their mouths wide with grins. Her daughter looking happier than she'd ever been. And even in the fading sunlight, she could see how rosy their cheeks were, how comfortable they looked to be so close.
Summer prayed that all of Chateau Versaiile would collapse right now, crushing her and Ruby and Jaune all together.
It would have been a kinder fate than what would likely be in store for them for treason.
Because Summer knew how bad it looked to have been the one to plant a traitor in an Arc's honor guard..
"No answer? No idea?" She didn't have it in herself to fight as Jaune walked her back towards her desk. Instead, she sent Ruby a slow shake of her head. Her horrified daughter letting the rapier she'd been clutching drop to the carpet-covered floor with a dull thud.
Jaune put the picture on her desk, right at the top of all the papers she'd been working on. Reports on their various properties, appeals to the crown from the provinces, numbers on their house's earnings. Summer wondered how much of it would be repossessed by the Arcs and how much would be divided among the other greater houses.
How violent would the reaction be?
"Yang had warned them, Summer." One of his arms wrapped around her waist - underneath her cloak - and pulled her to him. Already close, the gesture pressed her flush against him. Her bust squished flat against his chest. "I arrived to a Menagerie that had been mobilized for war. If not for the fact that we arrived several months in advance, I'd be significantly more angry right now."
She felt his other hand grip her hair, fingers twining with the strands and forcing her to look up at him. It hurt, but she managed to stifle all but a muffled groan. She kept her eyes on his. She would hold on to what little dignity she could.
"Blake and Kali managed to escape. Thankfully Ghira - fool that he was - decided to buy them time and distract me." He laughed, as though the idea of a father staying behind to ensure his wife and daughter could survive another day was⦠funny to him.
Summer Rose felt cold.
"Fat lot of good it'll do him when I catch them anyway. And this time I'm going to be getting them with interest."
The hand on her waist trailed down. Summer felt bile rise in her throat as he cupped her bum and ground her against him.
When she felt hardness rub against her crotch, she whimpered.
"Mercy." she whispered. From the sob Summer heard across the room, Ruby had heard it, too.
Jaune's response was to clutch at her ass so hard she had to bury her face against his chest to hide the pained wince. Still, she was sure he felt her flinching, felt the way she stiffened afterwards.
"Yang Xiao Long has betrayed the nation, and the crown. Besides that, she has threatened the future stability of our kingdom by putting its heir at risk." His words resounded through the room like thunder, "If you want any kind of clemency, Summer, you will foreswear Yang Xiao Long."
She felt herself fall into his ultramarine gaze, the deepness of it seeming to swallow her up as he continued: "And just as she had threatened the future of my house and the future stability of the kingdom, so must your future pay the price for putting her in a position to do so despite knowing that she could not be trusted."
"No!"
Ironwood slammed against the base of her spine as Jaune turned her around and shoved her into her desk, finally pulling a scream of pain from her as he pushed her down. Her legs kicked outward on instinct, partially to try and push him off, partially to stop the corner from continuing to dig against her back.
"Please!" She cried, "Not my Ruby! She had no fault in this!"
He'd grabbed both her hands and held them above her head, his hips pressing down from above her and the scorching hot hardness of him pressed in between her legs.
"Tai! Tai!" Summer screeched, any pretense getting thrown out. Where was her husband? Had Jaune gotten to him before coming here? "Arc is taking our daughter! Tai! Please!" She didn't wait for an answer, instead turning back to the man that was very much about to force himself on her she instead begged, "Please, lord Arc. Ruby had nothing to do with this."
Jaune scoffed and instead pressed all of his weight down on her. His barrel chest crushed hers, rendering her unable to properly breath, and his arm pinning both of hers above her. She groaned as the table dug against her back even more. He⦠He could snap her spine like this, couldn't he? "And what could you possibly offer me instead? I'm within my rights to confiscate all of House Rose's property, take your daughter, take you. What is left?"
"Raven!" Summer screamed, voice shrill, "Raven Branwen!"
The prince didn't pull away from her, but he did still. The hand that had been running up and down her sides and idly toying with the lacework of her bodice paused.
"She⦠Ah⦠She's in league with them. And She's bonded with me from when we were huntresses."
Quickly, breathlessly, she explained how it mattered. Praying through the pain that it would be enough of a bargain for him. Raven Branwen's semblance was a known quantity to the royal family even as she was permitted to depart from service to house Arc on her request. Her being in league with Yang - and Menagerie by extension - made her a threat that needed to be addressed.
And Raven had her rule. Her one save for those she shared a bond with.
A save Summer had yet to use.
So just as her eldest daughter had thrown her family to the mercies of Jaune Arc, Summer Rose sold her oldest friend out while the man Yang had betrayed began to undress her all the while Ruby was forced to watch.
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