World of Remnant:
Spring Solstice
(The screen starts pitch black as always before a voice is heard)
Here we are again, aren't we? Bet that you didn't expect we'd be covering this one but last I checked there were four seasons.
(The sounds of pages being flipped were heard)
Okay, just give me a minute here…Okay, Spring Solstice.
Now, you're up to date on the myths of Remnant, right? I'm talking specifically about the story of the Four Maidens.
(Four young girls are shown with each of them in a different color: White, green, purple and orange.)
In that story, an old man gifts four young women who visit him with the power of the seasons.
Winter
(An orb of light appears over the white woman.)
Spring.
(The green woman is next with a shining orb appearing above her.)
Summer.
(The purple woman follows next.)
And Fall.
(The orange woman is the last to receive an orb of light.)
The girls take these gifts across Remnant to make it a better place. Well, that's basically the short-short version.
The longer version, their story inspires the four holidays that represent the four seasons, each one happening on the solstice of each season.
(The planet Remnant is shown orbiting its sun.)
And just in case you don't know, a solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere.
(To exemplify, Remnant reaches a point where the sun is shown at its highest point over its north pole)
The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense, as the day when this occurs. The day of a solstice in either hemisphere has either the most sunlight of the year: the Summer Solstice or the least sunlight of the year: Winter Solstice for any place other than the Equator.
Today, we're talking about the Spring Solstice.
(A green land is now shown.)
It starts early in the year, after winter reaches its ending. The day of the Spring Solstice is when both day and night are equal in length, marking the start of spring.
Spring is celebrated as a time of time of fertility, creativity, and renewal.
(People are shown setting tables and bringing out food for a feast)
A time to celebrate the beauty of nature and to be grateful for everything it gives.
Wood for homes.
(A man is shown cutting trees down to build a house)
Foot to put on the table.
(Hunters are then shown bring back a dead deer from a successful hunt.)
And resources for medicine, stuff like that.
(Various plants and herbs are shown being collected, used to create special medicines for healing the sick and wounded. The scene fades, showing a small family, all of them sitting around a fire.)
All in all, a rather quiet holiday but one to enjoy if you're in the right place.
(The screen fades to black)
"Oh my."
Those two words were the only words Kali Belladonna was capable of uttering as she looked to see the large amounts of food being brought off the ship.
"Well, it seems this year's Spring Solstice is going to be a big one." Her husband, Ghira spoke next to her, placing an arm on her shoulder with a big smile.
The ship was one of several that were used to import goods to Menagerie from the other kingdoms. Since the Great Blizzard several decades ago, Menagerie had only grown, thriving to the point it would be considered a kingdom despite not being officially recognized as one. With the rest of the land now livable, the Faunus quickly started spreading out, building small towns and villages close to the sea and lakes that had been formed.
This was something important to note as the Spring Solstice meant more to the people of Menagerie than it did the rest of the kingdoms.
Not only was this day the Spring Solstice, but it was also the anniversary of the Great Blizzard. A holiday covering an important event in history and that made it even more important to celebrate.
"I take it Blake is staying at the house?" Kali asked.
"Well, she was curious at first, but she was more curious if Terra would be coming here. You know she asked him if he would come celebrate with us on the Spring Solstice." Ghira rubbed the back of his head. "We sent him a message and he said he would try and make it back for this."
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." Kali sighed but smiled all the same. "He was practically her hero in the fairy tale stories we used to read to her and when he saved her…It was like a fairy tale come true for her."
"I know." Ghira smiled back. "We owe him for saving her and he's done more than enough to show he is every bit the knight she believes him to be…Though, I can't help but wonder if this hero worship slash crush she has will fade or get worse."
Kali could understand, given that Terra never once removed his helmet when he visited or even ate with them, though he did socialize.
Whenever asked why, Terra would simply say. "The face under this helmet…It's not mine and I don't need to eat as much as anyone anymore."
That made Kali and Ghira naturally suspicious, but the tone Terra had spoken with…They knew something had happened to him that made him wear his armor all the time and given that he had saved their daughter, they chose not to ask, only to wait for the time he would open up, if that day ever came.
"I just hope she and Ilia are doing okay."
"Heheheha."
A little Blake Belladonna covered her mouth, trying to keep herself silent as she hid. She was hiding so this wasn't the time for laughter. Even if her friend didn't have the same kind of ears as she did, that didn't mean she didn't have good hearing.
Footsteps…
Her ears perked up, hearing small footsteps.
She was close by.
Blake took a deep breath, keeping herself calm and composed so that her friend wouldn't find her.
'Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.' She mentally chanted to herself.
The footsteps walked past the door to the closet and for a moment all was silence.
Blake believed that meant her friend had walked past the door and was now looking around the house for her.
So, she let out a sigh of relief…
"AH-HA!" The door shot open, revealing Blake who winced as light poured in. "FOUND YOU!"
Standing there was Blake's best friend Ilia Amitola with a victorious smile on her face.
Blake was frozen, eyes wide and completely surprised that she had been found out.
So stunned that she uttered only one word. "…Meow?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ghira and Kali both were laughing their heads off as Ilia regaled them with the story of how she had found Blake during their game of hide and seek.
Blake herself was pouting and blushing as she looked away from the table and out the window.
It was not her fault she had said that.
It was just that she had been so…
Surprised?
It's not like she could control herself when she was surprised.
Stupid Ilia fooling her into making her say that…
And now she was blabbing it right her parents who couldn't help but laugh even harder than she did when Blake said that word to her.
She really wished she wasn't here at the moment.
She'd rather be out back training with…
'Terra.' Blake's face suddenly turned sad, wondering if he was going to make it this year.
As much as she loved it when he visited, Terra had told her he had other responsibilities to the rest of Remnant. She understood, of course she did, he was a knight after all.
A real-life knight that protected people from danger.
Blake blinked as the memories of the first time she had met Terra flashed in her mind…
"DIE!" The evil man shouted, pointing his gun at her.
She was trembling, unable to run or hide from the man who was ready to shoot her. She closed her eyes as she saw he was about to pull the trigger…
BANG!
CLANG!
She opened her eyes and blinked as bronze colored armor filled her vision.
She heard the man gasp and step back. "Y-You! There's more of you?!"
"So, you know what I am holding, Clayton." The man held up his strange sword. "Then you know, you made a terrible mistake."
"Who are you?!"
"I'm Aqua's old friend while people here call me the Bronze Knight." Blake's eyes widened at the mention of the title. "You can call me Terra. I'm here to shatter your schemes and to avenge for what you've done to my friend."
The Bronze Knight…
The same one from the story.
"And so, the Bronze Knight, a tower of might and strength like the earth itself defeated the Red King with the help of the Blue Queen who was once again the Silver Knight, a form of grace and agility like water and the Golden Knight who fell from the air and moved like the wind, the Bronze Knight's two closest friends and fellow knights. Aiding them were the four mischievous fairies, a Rusted Knight, a Red Huntress and a Green Prince, they worked to peace and harmony to the wonderous lands they had joined together to protect."
Blake barely had time to think of what happened next, as the next thing to happen was someone tumbling down the hill, coming to a stop between the Bronze Knight and the evil man. They looked up to see a man Blake would later recognize as Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, having defeated the rest of Clayton's hunting party.
"It's time to pay for your all of your crimes, Clayton."
The man snarled and aimed at Blake again, firing another shot.
BANG!
CLANG!
The Bronze Knight blocked the shot again and Clayton took the chance to start running. "Clayton!"
His strange key shaped sword transformed, and a long rope shot out, wrapping Clayton's arm and pulling him back, earning a shocked cry from the man as he was spun around with his fist meeting the Bronze Knight's fist.
POW!
The punch to his jaw sent him flying and crashing into the banner of the Wild Hunt. The remaining members moved to attack but Ozpin shot forward, striking them down and allowing the knight the chance to slam his sword down, causing walls of earth to rise up in front of him, blocking anymore members from attacking him or Blake.
The Bronze Knight lowered his fist and the cable transformed back into a key shaped sword. The knight slowly turned around, looking down at Blake who trembled slightly.
The knight knelt down to look her in the eyes. "Your name is Blake, right?"
Her ears perked up and she slowly nodded.
"My name is Terra. Your parents are nearby, looking for you. I promised I would find you for them." He slowly held a hand to her. "Would you like me to bring to them?"
Her parents…
They were here?
She stared at the hand, knowing that even if he was a knight he was also a strange…
But he saved her.
She slowly grasped the hand and allowed the man to pick her up. He carried her through the desert landscape that the Wild Hunt used for their…hunting. The knight carried her to the gates where she could see other Wild Hunt members on their knees and their hands on their heads.
And then she saw…
"MOMMY! DADDY!"
Both parents' heads shot in their direction. "BLAKE!"
They rushed over, the knight allowing them to take their daughter from his arms and into the muscular arms of her father. The parents had embraced their daughter, beyond happy and relieved that she was safe and back with them.
Kali looked at the knight with a tearful smile. "Thank you."
The knight nodded and turned to leave but he felt something grab his hand. He turned slightly and saw it was Blake holding his hand with both of hers.
"Don't go." She pleaded softly.
That had been the day when everything had changed.
The Bronze Knight.
A figure from a fairy tale she fallen in love with since she was a little girl, when she first heard her mother read that story, telling her stories of a trio of knights that had come to save a strange world from a disaster.
Did Terra have friends out there like him?
If the Bronze Knight was real, did that mean that the other knights were real too?
Were the Silver and Golden Knights out there somewhere, battling evil and saving people like how Terra had saved her?
Did that mean the four mischievous fairies were out there, hunting long buried treasure that no one knew about?
Did the Rusted Knight and the Red Huntress get together?
Blake had so many questions but she never voiced them.
She was too caught up in being happy to see Terra when he visited and tell her stories about what he had been up to. Terra was…
He was kind.
A little melancholy and he liked to look out across the ocean when the sun was setting which Blake liked to do as well. The people in Menagerie called him the great protector, strong and noble and true but he always told them that he had his faults at times and that he was far from flawless.
Make that humble as well.
"Chief!" A voice called from outside.
Ghira stood up and approached the door, opening to see the captain the Menagerie militia standing there. "What is it?"
"Sorry to disturb you, but you thought you would like to know…" The captain cleared his throat. "Master Terra has returned."
Blake's head shot up, her ears perking, her eyes wide and her lips curling into an excited smile.
"It's him!"
"The Bronze Knight!"
"He looks awesome!"
"I bet he looks handsome under that helmet."
"No way. He's probably scarred head to toe."
"He'd probably still be handsome."
"Who are the flowers for?"
"TERRA!"
The Bronze Knight stopped and looked up, seeing a familiar little girl running down the stairs of the Belladonna household. As soon as she was at the bottom, she ran up and hugged him around the waist.
"Hello, Blake." Terra said softly, kneeling down so she could look him directly in the 'face.' "I guess you missed me."
Blake nodded happily.
"She's been asking every day for when you would come back." Kali said as she followed her daughter down the stairs. "It almost breaks my heart to see the sad look when I have to tell you can't make it."
"Mom!" Blake blushed.
Terra reached out and patted Blake on the head, making her freeze and blush even harder.
"And who are the flowers for?" Kali asked, an intrigued smile on her face.
In Terra's hand was a bouquet of roses colored white, dark purple and violet.
"I believe these are called Night Roses from Mistral." Terra said, handing them to Blake who happily accepted and sniffed them, loving the smell. "And of course…"
He held out a small package that really made Blake and Kali's eyes go wide and their mouths slightly water.
"A little something I picked up from Argus." Terra said. "I believe it's called Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp."
It sure was.
Blake and Kali could just smell the aroma from the food even if the container was sealed. This baked stuffed shrimp recipe was a little bit of a splurge as large shrimp and fresh crab can be pricey. But for seafood lovers, and if you are a fan of BOTH crab cakes and shrimp it is well worth the cost.
"THANK YOU!" Both mother and daughter hugged the Bronze Knight tightly.
Terra stumbled but accepted their hugs. "Happy Spring Solstice."
Kali grinned. "Well, it will be even better if you do a little favor for us."
"What is that?"
Kali grabbed Terra by the arm and began dragging him up the stairs. "You are joining us for dinner!"
"Oh, you don't ha-"
"Yes, I do!" Kali cut him off. "And I will accept no argument."
Terra, despite having no body under the armor, wisely decided not to argue with the Belladonna Matriarch and just let her drag him up the stairs where Ghira was waiting.
"Darling, look who brought us dinner!" Kali joyfully said, holding up the Stuffed Shrimp container. "No need for tuna tonight!"
"I see." Ghira chuckled, quite happy at the sight of the sea food himself.
Blake followed behind them, holding the bouquet of flowers that she held up to her father. "Look what Terra brought us!"
"What a lovely gift." Ghira knelt down, getting a better look at the flowers. "You remembered to say 'thank you'?"
"Huh-huh!" Blake nodded.
"That's my girl!" Ghira laughed, patting Blake on the head. "Let us head inside and properly thank our guest."
Terra liked to think he was not a complete recluse.
He wasn't one for social gatherings, but he would still do it from time to time. Right now though, being the center of attention during the celebration of the Spring Solstice, well it was enough to make him sweat a bit and he didn't even sweat anymore!
The Belladonnas had graciously prepared the Stuffed Shrimp he had given them as part of the dinner feast that was part of the celebration as the sun began to set. Blake was wearing a dark yukata as she sat next to him while Kali was wearing a black and gold kimono while sitting on the other side of Blake and next to her husband who wore his usual attire. Everywhere, Terra could see young and old gather, happily chatting, playing games, or trying out the foods that had been brought out. Children happily ran around with toys or sparklers in their hands.
The sight of it…
The joy he could feel…
It reminded him of much simpler times when he was still flesh.
Times he spent in the world that he had called home with his friends and father.
"Terra?" He looked down, seeing Blake grasp his arm with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?"
Terra would have raised an eyebrow if he could, surprised that Blake was somehow able to sense his feelings. "…I'm fine. Just remembering enjoying times like these in old home."
Kali and Ghira glanced in Terra's direction, having heard him.
"Our home didn't have as many people as your home does but we had good times, especially when we would stay up late in the night and watch the stars." Terra looked up, seeing the stars.
They were not the same stars as his home but the light from each star still reminded him of home. Even if the stars were different, the light remained the same.
Blake looked up too, seeing the stars and smiled. "They are so pretty."
"Yes, they are." Terra agreed.
Ghira cleared his throat and stood up. "People of Menagerie, may I have your attention?"
The activity died down as the people turned and looked at their chief.
"For many people on Remnant, the Spring Solstice may be seen as another holiday but to us, it's much more sacred. When we celebrate this day, we are meant to celebrate the rebirth of the lands that sustains us and that holds no more true for our home!"
The people cheered.
"In the years following the Great War, a great blizzard swept through our land, covering the scorching hot deserts beyond this village in snow and ice for three days and when the sun rose, a new land was born!" Ghira proclaimed, earning another round of cheers. "Menagerie may not be perfect, but it was our home before the Great Blizzard and it still is because no matter what, it is not the anniversary or the holiday makes living here worthwhile, it is all of you! You who build and maintain our homes, protect our towns and welcome Faunus who can find no home beyond this land! We celebrate our great land and we celebrate the good people who make this land the greatest home on Remnant!"
The people cheered even louder.
"Happy Spring Solstice to you all!" Ghira held up a glass.
One by one, everyone either held up a glass or punched a fist into the air. "HAPPY SPRING SOLSTICE!"
Kali smiled as her husband sat down and kissed him on the cheek. "You always make the best speech."
Ghira chuckled and wrapped an arm around his wife. "Only because I have the best motivation."
Terra watched, a ghost of smile appearing under his helmet. 'If only you could see this…Aqua.'
