"…Astrid?" Weiss asked, furrowing her brows as she walked around the woman, looking her over. Upon walking into and through one of the assembled troops, Weiss stumbled a bit and then tested putting an arm through their torso. There was no reaction or resistance, confirming that the group wasn't really there so much as watching some sort of hologram show. "That's… certainly a curious name. Unlike any I'm familiar with in the modern era…"
"It makes sense," Winter considered as she laid a hand atop Weiss' shoulder. "We're… however far back in the past. Hundreds of years? Thousands? When the Maidens appeared isn't really public record, considering the fact that they're supposed to just be a fable…"
"We march at dawn!" came an unfamiliar voice, startling nearly everyone in the group and refocusing them on Astrid as she began to pace in front of her men. Her voice filled the entire area as she spoke in the same way that Jinn's did, as though the spirit was drawing particular focus to the Maiden's words above all else in the scene. "You have your orders, and you needn't know the specifics. It doesn't matter how you feel about this war- it is neither your role nor mine to question orders. Do as I command, and all of us will return home in a matter of weeks. I will hear no further questions, nor will I consider going against the orders of our queen. Her status as my mother is entirely irrelevant, and I will not stand for any questions about such a thing. Does anyone else have something they feel the need to say?"
It was then that Sun noticed a distinct hole in the formation of knights, as though one had been removed. There was no evidence of a struggle- or of a body for that matter- but the odd gap filled his head with ideas as to what sort of conversation must have occurred just before his group's arrival. Suddenly, a voice cried out from behind them, sounding almost more like a wail of anguish than an attempt to get anyone's attention.
"Astrid!" came the call.
The armored woman lifted her gaze above the lines of men and to a smaller figure in similar plate mail running up the road to meet her. There was a distinct resemblance between their facial features, though the newcomer's eyes were a glowing pale green, and she looked a few years younger by comparison. Her hair was a rich, deep brown, hanging in a braided plait that extended down to her hips. The young Maiden appeared totally unarmed despite her garb, and her hair and armor were streaked with dirt. Her eyes were filled with panic and sorrow, obvious enough that her sister immediately stiffened at the sight.
"Fiorella?" Astrid asked as she walked forward, shoulder checking one of her men as she moved through the line. "What news from the front? You were not due back for another week…"
The younger of the Maidens hesitated, standing arm's length from the other woman. Astrid kept her cold and firm expression as Fiorella's lip quivered and her eyes welled with tears. Quite suddenly and more quickly than Astrid could react, Fiorella threw herself at her older sister and began to sob as she tried desperately to get a grip around the heavy plate armor. At first, Astrid didn't move or return the hug as she tried to process or even guess at what was going on. After several awkward seconds had passed, she turned her head and addressed the knights that remained standing at attention.
"…you are all dismissed. Leave us."
Slowly but surely, the contingent of knights dispersed as the otherworldly intruders surrounded the sisters to watch the scene play out from a better vantage point. Once Astrid was certain that her subordinates were no longer in earshot, she kneeled down into the dirt and looped her arms around her sister, finding the task quite easy due to the girl's size. Even as she returned the hug, her tone remained harsh and judgmental.
"What is wrong with you, Fio?" Astrid spat, her voice nearly a whisper. "You're no longer a child, and I can't be seen treating you like one in public. You are old enough now to deal with the realities of war without constantly clinging to me… but just this once, I'll do what I can to help. Were you sent back due to some failure out in the field? What did you do?"
Another sound drew Astrid's attention, as well as that of the ethereal visitors gathered around the scene. A rolling cart guarded by several knights was making its way through the castle gates. Upon seeing the vehicle, Astrid's heart sank. Somehow, she knew what the news was… and she had absolutely no idea what to say or do about it.
"F-father…" Fiorella managed to get out. "Father is… h-he fell in battle. We were ambushed. They somehow knew we were coming, and there was another army waiting for us along the edges of a ravine. They had magic users of their own- powerful ones, unlike any I had ever seen. He sacrificed himself to save as many of us as he could. I-I couldn't…"
Astrid sucked in a breath and held it as the funeral carriage continued to approach. She, too, looked as though she was about to cry… but somehow held it in as she put both hands on Fiorella's shoulders and fixed her with a piercing gaze.
"…look at me," the woman demanded. "Go and find your sisters. Bring them somewhere upstairs in the palace, and stay together. I'll… I will deal with this and relaying the news to Mother. Stay away from the main hall."
"Ozpin…?" Blake questioned as she circled the two grieving Maidens.
"Gotta be," Sun replied. "Fiorella looks like she's… maybe 15 or 16? This is awful… but what does this have to do with the Relics?"
"We are getting there, Sun Wukong," Jinn answered as the two sisters stood up and the scene began to fade out. "Patience. The details of the war itself are inconsequential to your question… save perhaps one aspect of it. When Salem began her campaign, it was seen as a formality more than anything. A guaranteed victory and reminder that she and Ozma were a cut above the other rulers of the land. Tragedy on the scale that you see before you now was never a consideration in Salem's mind… nor were the events about to unfold. After all, she was supposedly guaranteed victory by her benefactor."
"Benefactor…?" Sun asked.
"Soon," was all Jinn would say as their environs changed once again.
The group found themselves within a throne room- clearly the central area of Salem's castle. Astrid was kneeling before a throne, and Salem, near unrecognizable save for her familiar expression of absolute rage, loomed over her daughter from the top of a small set of steps. The witch's skin was not yet ashen, and her hair was a magnificent, shimmering blonde. Just like her daughters' eyes, Salem's own radiated with wild power, flames extending from their corners and matching their turquoise hues. The woman's translucent aura seemed to manifest all around her, distorting the very air as she clenched and unclenched her fists in anger.
"Where is she!?" Salem spat, pacing back and forth before her throne. The woman threw out an arm, the long sleeve of her white and golden dress fluttering about. "Why are you protecting her? She- all of you- answer to me! This cannot be happening… I refuse to believe that Ozma would be so careless. So…"
"I do not know the details of what happened," Astrid repeated, keeping her head bowed. "It was a fluke, Mother. An unexpected turn of events th-"
"Where is she?" Salem repeated, turning to face her daughter as she stopped pacing. A swirling globe of raw, multicolored magic manifested within her outstretched hand, and her fingers were shaking as she struggled to contain it. "Do not stand in my way, Astrid…"
"Or what?" the defiant daughter asked as she finally stood up, keeping a tight grip around the shaft of her spear. "Mother, you are not yourself right now. I… don't trust your judgment when it comes to dealing with Fiorella. You're threatening me!"
"And I'll do more than that if you continue on this path," Salem warned, the magical orb in her hand flaring.
"She is a child!" Astrid insisted. "A child, sent out on her first assignment, who just watched her father die! I won't let you interrogate or harm her. If anything, the fault lies with me. I trained her. I prepared her for this… and I failed. If you want to go after anyone within our family, then I should be your target!"
Sun stepped closer to Salem, keeping his eyes upon her face as the two women stared each other down. Her eyes were brimming with tears, her skin was flushed with an angry red, and her breathing was elevated. All the signs that she was at her limit with grief and pain were there… and it was a state of mind that Sun knew well.
"…she did care, once," Sun said softly. "Before she became what she is now, she did care about other people… and she isn't going to attack her daughter. I can see it in her face. This isn't the breaking point."
"Then what was?" James asked as he moved to stand at Sun's side. "I could see how something like this could break anyone, especially if they were together a long time…"
"I have a feeling we're about to find out."
Slowly, Salem let her arm drop, the wisps of magic within her palm dissipating as she brought her other hand up to her forehead. Astrid approached, her metal boots clanking up the steps as she closed the distance to her mother and adopted a softer tone. She sounded almost uncomfortable as she spoke, as though she didn't have much practice in being understanding.
"…Mother, you aren't thinking straight. Leave my sisters to me. Determine our kingdom's next move, and how to deal with the fallout once the news goes public."
"Yes. You're right," Salem acknowledged. "You always tend to be… I am not myself, but I also will not stand for this. Cancel your campaign, Astrid. Gather your sisters, and make sure that they are armed. I already know our next move."
Astrid hesitated before brushing a long strand of ginger hair back behind her ear and clearing her throat.
"…which is…?"
Salem inhaled sharply through her nostrils as she met her daughter's eyes. The witch took a moment to wipe her own with the back of her hand.
"He promised us his protection. That he would watch over and shield us in exchange for our fealty. Our pact is now broken… and I demand restitution. Our enemies have taken from us what I cherish most. I will take everything from him if he refuses to bring Ozma back to us."
"What are you talking about?" Astrid asked, seemingly nervous. "He's… gone. Not even a god can undo th-"
"Then he is no god!" Salem declared, her voice rising in both volume and anger. "I will ask him to bend the rules of nature once for us, and if he refuses- if he cannot- then that is sign enough to me that he doesn't deserve to sit upon his gilded throne. We're heading to the God of Light's domain immediately, and if he cannot uphold his end of our pact… then he dies. Maybe not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow… but I will find a way."
"Is that even possible? Astrid questioned.
"Place your faith in me, child, over him," Salem said in a soothing tone as she laid a hand upon her daughter's shoulder. "You trust me, do you not?"
"I do," Astrid confirmed without hesitation. "And I will follow you anywhere, even… to wherever this may bring us."
Salem offered a nod, seeming pleased with the declaration.
"Then go. Round up your sisters… and prepare yourself to slay a god."
Author's Note:
Next time- the God of Light's domain…
-RD