Sitting atop one of the boxes of the theatre, Weiss observed the people coming in. She was dressed in a white form-fitting dress with long gloves that reached almost her shoulders and a tiara that fit snuggly between her horns. Streaming in were an assortment of wealthy people. Victorian nobles, wealthy Columbians in their business suits, and some well-dressed oriental people, who she assumes must be Yanese. They could also be Higashinese but she can't tell which is which as she's never seen her half-Higashinese friend in her homeland's attire.
A few Leithanian nobles and Kazmierzan business suits catch her attention as she recognizes some of them. Among the Leithanians she can recognize several of them from her time in the Ludwig-Einwald University. Gräfin Holstein with her outrageously revealing (as with every single one of her clothes) blue dress showcasing not just the side of her breast but also the middle, Markgraf Swabia proudly wearing his new expensive suit, Erzherzogin Hapsburg who was trying very hard to disappear on Herzog Oldenberg's back, Herzog Savoy and his playful cousin Kurprinzessin Eugenia von Soissons, no doubt teasing him over his date, the petite Herzogin Himmelhalbinsel holding his hand. How he managed to get her well-disciplined bachelorette friend to go on a date with him, a scoundrel is something she can ask them later after the concert.
Of the Kazmierzans, she recognized fellow art connoisseur Magnus Tęczyński, her Columbian acquaintance, Kazimiera Pułaska, her once-childhood crush and upperclassman, Julius Lubomirski, alongside his Leithanian Elafia wife, and her childhood friend, Miss Sophia Jagiellon.
Seeing her face reminded her of a memory from the past, one she decided to dwell on.
...
"Listen well, my dear sister."
In front of her was the imposing figure of her sister. Her dark, umbral cape concealed most of her body below her neck, leaving only her tightly bunned-up hair and Kurantan ears for Weiss to gaze at as they rapidly moved across the hallway of the courtyard.
"This is the final test before Mother agrees to let you join this so-called 'Ensemble'. You will be fighting a Silverlance Pegasi in a 'duel'. If you can as so much as draw blood from the knight, then that shall count as a victory from you. But if you lose consciousness, it will be back to training for you. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sister!"
An oppressing yet tense silence settled between them as they rapidly walked towards the 'sparring room'. On the outside, Weiss's face was the picture of a fierce determined Leithanian Spire noble, horns trimmed meticulously to match her icy gaze sharp enough to pierce through metal.
Internally, Weiss was a ball of anxiety and trepidation
While her sister had warned her that her opponent for the final trial would be a campaign knight, she was convinced that a campaign knight under her sister's command was the worst-case scenario and therefore unlikely. It's not like she did not prepare for the possibility of fighting one, nay, quite the opposite. It's just that she felt very apprehensive about throwing the gauntlet down with one.
Growing up in such a politically charged environment, Weiss simply wished to be free of her family's deep involvement in Kazmierzan politics as moderates. For that, she was willing to do whatever it took to escape the that her mother and father play, even if that meant fighting a Silverlance Pegasus.
Just as they turned around the corner leading to the venue, her sister glanced at her.
Looking back, it must have been how tightly she balled her fist that gave it away. Not that she could help it. Thinking about her grandpa and her situation made her feel nostalgic and frustrated, respectively.
Turning to face her, Winter's stern features slackened to a more reassuring one.
"Weiss." she called out softly
"Yes, dear sister?"
Placing an armoured hand on her shoulder, Weiss was surprised by her sister's gesture.
"Do you remember the words engraved on our grandfather's sword?"
"Yes" answered Weiss confidently. How could she who had spent all evening on her grandfather's knees, listening to all his heroic tales, ever have forgotten it? "Fear neither hardship nor darkness." she answered. The family motto of the Nearls that the Silverlance Pegasi engraved into their weapons and armour after Daybreak over the Golden Prairie.
"I've been told that our grandfather, Mikołaj Śnieżyczyńska, was the very first knight who began that practice among the Silverlance Pegasi."
To say she was shocked would be the mother of all understatements. But the words that followed were something that she still ponders about to this day.
"That same sword is your inheritance from him, Weiss. He believes only you are worthy of inheriting it."
Even to this very day Weiss still could not understand why he chose her over her sister and her mother. Winter always has made it clear that she wanted to be a Silverlance Pegasi like him. Mother, despite being a severe alcoholic and at times cold towards her and the rest of her siblings, still holds the same conviction and will he had to unite the noble-knight houses and businessmen of Kazimierz against outside threats like the Ursus Empire.
Why her? What did he see in her that made her worthy of the sword he treasured so much?
Even now as she observes the audience flock in, she still can imagine that treasured sword of his tucked away in her luggage.
"And I believe he's right on giving it to you, dearest sister."
It took Weiss a moment to process what her sister was saying but when it did, she was filled with a heady mixture of pride, confidence, and a slight tinge of embarrassment
"The work and dedication you've put into this training for these past few months makes me think that as long as you put your all into it, you can accomplish anything."
"Si-sister, please." stammered the flustered, yet immensely happy Weiss. " There is no need to flatter me that much."
"And since when have ever flattered anyone?" spoke the bemused Winter. "You are not Silverlance Pegasi material yet, but your training is not for naught. Come, let us meet your opponent."
Now exuding confidence, Weiss strode gracefully as her sister led her to the so-called 'sparring room'.
Upon entering, she was greeted by the sight of Klein smiling at her as he carried the suitcases containing her weapons, Myrtenaster, and her arts unit, Requiem Lustra. On the far end of this ballroom which doubled as a dueling or sparring arena (a typical arrangement among wealthier knightly houses who could afford to make their floor sturdier and more resilient to Arts) was her opponent. He was cradling his helmet on his right arm, proudly displaying his golden mane and sharp heterochromia blue and violet eyes.
"Sir Zygmunt?"
Hearing his name, he suddenly turned to face her and gave her his signature friendly grin.
"Little Weiss!" he called out while waving his arm at her
A long-time friend of her sister, Weiss should have expected to have him as her opponent as their families were close to each other, being some of the few moderates in Kazimierz.
"A friendly chat with my childhood friend's brother would not be out of the norm." Weiss thought to herself.
As she walked gracefully towards him, she happened to gaze up on the balconies of the second floor only to see her mother in nearly full armour. She had in one hand a glass of wine that she was swirling, while her other hand rested on her sword's hilt. Next to her was a man with a darker complexion in all-black clothes and cloak. They looked to be chatting casually as her mother snorted (something she had never seen) as the man grinned widely, like a Lich when they had found a book worthy enough to add to their ever-growing archives, something she had grown accustomed to.
She couldn't discern his Ancient features, so she assumed he must be either a Liberi hiding his plumage behind his back or one of the enigmatic Ægirians who sometimes lack visible features.
Is he... her secret lover?
She's never seen her this casual and jovial of all things. Who else could it be but a lover? Hold on, Weiss, calm yourself. Surely her mother wouldn't be crass enough to bring her date to her duel. It could be a friend from her knight-errant days. Yes, surely... unless...
"Already furrowing your brows so early in the morning, Little Weiss? If you keep doing that, you'll start getting wrinkles like your sister you know?"
Snapping back to reality, she did not notice she was already in front of Sir Zygmunt who looked pleased with himself before her sister closed in from behind her and chopped the man square in the head.
"Zigg, one more joke about me developing wrinkles, and I'll be sure to make you stand in the sun in a dress until your skin is red from sunburn." glowered the annoyed Winter. A strange thing to joke about as her sister has nary an etched line upon her forehead, or so Weiss thought.
"Aye, aye, Mount Matterhorn..." muttered her sister's close friend as he rubbed the same spot she struck him. A much more befitting epithet considering her sister's cold brutality and stature.
Outwardly sighing, she thought it was a miracle these two even became friends. A serious no-nonsense woman and an energetic, playful man.
"So, I bet you're wondering who is your mother talking with, eh?"
As if he just read her mind, he quickly added
"Rest assured, he isn't your new papa if the divorce ever happens. He's your mother's friend from before. The "Guildmaster", a mercenary known for leading a band of mercenaries in the countryside."
Weiss was aghast to learn that her mother was friends with such a potentially dangerous person. But before she could even open her mouth to voice her concern, her sister cut her off.
"I understand how uneasy you feel. Even I find it baffling how mother is close friends with a criminal. But she once told me that he and the Tenebrous Knight were some of her sworn brothers."
The Tenebrous Knight. A legendary knight-errant who roamed the countryside. Smiting both corrupt knights and businessmen, he was the very figure of vigilante justice in days past. Rumors say many things about why he vanished. Personally, she subscribes to the theory that the Armourless Union's Darksteels got him. Good riddance, the last thing they need in Kazimierz is something that will destroy the careful balance between the K.C.G.C. and the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi that her mother and the other moderates maintain by polarizing both sides. Not that it has not polarized in recent years...
"Mother's words as Knight Primus are pretty much the only reason we aren't fighting him. She's at least a good judge of character when it comes to her allies"
"But not at judging her potential husband." Weiss bitterly thought
Winter and her friend suddenly went silent, which puzzled her until she realized she might have grumbled that out loud.
Before she could take it back, Sir Zygmunt laughed "Hahaha, I told you she was Kazmierzan through and through despite the horns and hooves!"
Her sister could only sigh in exasperation at her friend. " I suppose for once you are right."
"Sister, I didn't-"
"No, it's fine Weiss. I am sometimes reminded you are not the same timid girl I once knew. Your years in Leithanien must have affected you in ways I can only begin to see now"
"Well-"
"Dames and Lords of Kazimierz!"
At the sound of the ancient declaration of the start of a knightly spar, all 3 snapped their heads and bodies toward the announcer. Now donning her helmet, her mother, Willow Schnee-Śnieżyczyńska, stood upright as she spoke to a glyph that amplified her voice.
"On to your places, scions of the golden plains."
Nodding silently, the two Pegasi and one Caprinae split off from each other to take their respective places.
Sir Zygmunt Jagiellon walked a little further back before he put on his helm. Her sister, Winter, went further behind him to climb the stairs and join her mother, while she on the other hand turned back toward where Klein was standing. To her surprise, she found her father standing above on the opposite end. Was he here to observe as well? Why? To observe her progress in her Arts studies? To mock her later after she fails?
Whatever the case, her father just stood there impassively observing her like she was a potential asset for the company. Suppressing the simmering resentment, she felt as to avoid a repeat, she calmly approached Klein who now had a suitcase open, with Myrtenaster being presented up front to her by her trusty butler.
Swiftly grabbing the sheath, she began fastening it to her belt as was tradition with such duels. A sign of their sincerity is what she was told but to her, it was honestly a waste of time had her mother not been evaluating her proficiency at it like a predatory raptorbeast observing a rodentbeast it was about to snag for its next meal.
As she turned to Klein once more, he now held the other suitcase open. Before she could touch her Arts unit, Klein's smile widened as he spoke
"Don't worry young mistress, I am here to support you! I'll give him a good thwack in the back of the head when he least expects it so you can score a free hit!"
Combined with the winking and his goofy smile, Weiss could not help but laugh at the bravado and attempt at humour by her Durin caretaker.
"Oh, Klein. You don't need to. I'll be sure to come out victorious no matter the cost. But I appreciate the thought, Klein." Weiss stated cooly as she grabbed her Arts unit.
"It means a lot to me," she spoke sincerely as she inspected her wand. She glanced sideways to meet Klein's ever-shifting irises. To her delight, she saw Klein beaming at her with pride and joy, no doubt touched with her honest thoughts.
Weiss was invested in winning the upcoming battle. She either dies trying or she succeeds. Looking back at it, she was right to take it that seriously. Maybe that's why her sister and Klein were trying to get her in the right psychological state.
As Weiss drew her rapier from its sheath, she fell into the starting fencing stance with her other hand holding on to her Arts unit. Now knowing who her opponent is, Weiss considered the viability of the plan she's prepared ever since the end of her training. While Sir Zygmunt is not the worst she could have faced, the plan's chance of success seems to have lowered considerably. Her only relief is that she knows a lot about her opponent as she has witnessed him spar with Winter, enough that she knows that she can quite feasibly overwhelm his defenses if she gives it her all.
Across the ballroom stood Sir Zygmunt with his zweihandler held in a guard stance. It seems he already anticipated her first course of action. No matter, he won't expect the way she'll do it...
"May the light shine upon both of you. Begin!"
As soon as the match started, an array of white empty glyphs burst to life all across the floor as Weiss lunged at her opponent using a straight line of black glyphs. Using glyphs that were slightly tilted and gradually ascending, Weiss launched herself slightly above her opponent as she twisted her body forward. She could never hope to match the speed and stamina of a Kuranta, much less a Silverlance Pegasi.
Had she been born a Kuranta, perhaps she could but being a half-blood Caprinae has its benefits, such as having a larger reserve of Arts and higher proficiency in Arts control. Something she's willing to abuse.
Taking Sir Zygmunt by surprise, she sent a single thrust towards the underside of his shoulder guard, which he easily guarded by tilting his arm slightly so that her thrust would instead slide off his armour.
Twisting her body as she landed on the other side, turning a glyph black as she landed on it. Another straight line of glyphs turned black, leaving only the nearest glyph to him white as a precaution. Having positioned herself for a low lunge with her sword arm pulled back for another thrust.
Having positioned herself for a low lunge with her sword arm pulled back for another thrust, she willed the glyph to make her slide forward.
Normally, this maneuver would have ended a duel with an ordinary low-rank campaign knight at the cost of a slightly sore shoulder from the backbite. But this wasn't any campaign knight, this was a 5th-rank Silverlance Pegasi.
"Not bad" grunted Sir Zygmunt.
Turning around to meet her lunge with a rising diagonal cut, her opponent was beginning to emit an Arts signature.
Forcing the last glyph to accelerate her even faster by enhancing her gravity spell, Weiss moved Requiem Lustra to meet the great sword and projected a glyph to absorb the force of the blade. Just as she thrust, she saw a light flash in front of her, forcing her to close her eyes as she thrust Myrtenaster with all her might.
Instead of being thrown away, she felt her rapier hit something solid before it shattered it, absorbing the brunt of the attack as her thrust now just lightly poked the chainmail on the side of his knees.
Utilizing the same glyph she used as a shield to project the force it contained on both 'faces' of the glyph, Weiss was sent flying upwards at an acute angle while her opponent was slightly staggered by half the force of his swing transferring to his sword and the leg behind it.
In hindsight it was the clever move as not soon after, an explosion of light arts had erupted on where she was crouching on, shattering the nearby glyphs.
Now spinning mid-air once more, she gracefully controlled her body, facing her body towards the direction of her opponent before summoning a glyph beneath her feet to return her velocity to zero.
The extra training she had asked her mother and sister had finally paid off as her acrobatics allowed her to recover fast mid-air. She learned after having landed on the glyph with her back once. Ramming her mother with her horns was never going to be part of her lunging forms.
Launching herself towards the knight once more, Weiss pelted him with blasts of light-based Arts as she closed in for a thrust at his shoulder blades only to be surprised as he side-stepped before grabbing her by the foot and throwing her to his side as she tried to douse him in a jet of flame arts.
Once more re-orienting herself, Weiss landed on the floor gracefully as she stepped on one of her glyphs that coincidentally was located where she landed.
Keeping her eyes on her opponent she was surprised but not shocked to see that he had already closed in the distance between them both in such a short time. Her sister was just as fast if not even faster than that during their training.
As he brought down his blade in a downwards cleave, Weiss moved backward as she used the 'cup' of her blade to slightly re-direct his slash a bit to the side as she backed off. She knows Zygmunt has excellent hand-to-hand skills and grappling techniques from what she remembers seeing him spar with her sister when she was younger and she can only imagine him getting better at said skills.
Followed up with a quick jump backward as Sir Zygmunt turned his downward slash to a forward horizontal slash with a slight movement of his hands and his extraordinary footwork. Weiss tried to thrust at his left arm's exposed elbow joint only to find no purchase as she was moving too much to exert much force into the blow. Perhaps she could have actually parried that instead of jumping over it as it evidently did not have as much force as she had expected.
Landing on the ground once more, she decided to try to stand her ground and go for a parry followed by a riposte. As Sir Zygmunt's blade came back for a diagonal downward smash, Weiss, parried the blow using the lower half of her blade which she turned into a quick thrust down to the exposed portion of his right armpit below the pauldrons. Yet again she found no purchase as Sir Zygmunt this time faced his shoulder forward for a bash only to step at her glyph. As Myrtenaster slid off his pauldrons, Weiss pointed Requiem Lustra at the glyph at his feet he unknowingly stepped on, multiplying the force it contained and turning it into a force capable of sending the knight flying upwards toward the ceiling. The activation of the spell sent Sir Zygmunt flying head first towards the roof where the chandeliers used to be hung from, having been removed for this occasion.
Casting a new glyph beneath her feet and enhancing the said glyph with gravity Arts, she looked ahead and cast several more glyphs, all angled in such a way that she could lunge and slide around the entire ballroom, which she immediately got to work to do.
Using her arts unit, she began leaving behind a line of glyphs behind her as she zipped around the ballroom. A bolt of pure Arts, multiplied to be shot a hundred times at an interval, Freezing beams of ice amplified by her glyphs, bolts of fire, icicles, and many more spells, all aimed at the area where Sir Zygmunt would land, the moment he gets his head out of the roof.
Her glyphs, just like her mother and sister, can do so much more than store spells and they taught her everything there is to it. How well she can wield and use it is another matter entirely, as evident by her inability to 'summon' or use them as projectiles. She was always more of a Caster anyways than a swordswoman even among her peers at the university.
A deluge of Arts began to rain down from all sides as Weiss started making more diagonal and horizontal glyphs which she filled with spells like fire, ice, lightning, and even earth, alongside the remaining empty glyphs she left behind since the start. This was her second plan should the initial attack not work out. And yet, she knew deep inside it was only a smokescreen to keep her opponent occupied for a while as she enacted her contingency plan for fighting a Silverlance Pegasi knight. And she was right to suspect such as Sir Zygmunt was a master of defensive Arts. While he was forced to erect a sturdy barrier to withstand the unending barrage of enhanced or multiplied spells fired off the glyphs, Weiss now had the time to enact the next contingency plan. Weiss decided to abandon the safety of the glyphs she created, stopping far away from Sir Zygmunt who still stood in the same position after she tossed him into the air. Just as she wanted
Creating a wall of glyphs, Weiss began an Arts incantation she fashioned herself.
"Spiegel, sag mir eines. Sag mir wer die Einsamste ist von all'n. Spiegel, was steckt in dir? Sag mir wird ein Herz auch mal zu Stein?"
Just then, her opponent unleashed a massive burst of light, covering most of the ballroom's dance floor, shattering all of the glyphs Weiss had placed earlier, excluding the wall of glyphs she had conjured to surround herself.
As Sir Zygmunt dashed toward her glyph barrier and began hacking away at it with a light Arts-infused blade, Weiss finally finished her incantation, buffeting the room in a bright light and a chill breeze. Once the light had subsided, there stood 9 glowing mirror images of Weiss. Every one of them radiates blinding light and spreads ice, even Weiss herself. A clever Arts construct nearly identical to her, possessing the same arts presence, weight, and speed as her. She may never wound a Silverlance Pegasi on her own, but with 9 other slightly more durable versions of her? She now has a chance. The light and ice should obscure her from both conventional and Arts-related senses.
Engaging in various fencing stances, they all attacked at once, trying to find a weak spot. He ducked underneath all of that and tried to sweep them off their feet. Weiss and her constructs could not land any fatal blows as her opponent began swinging his blade with incredible dexterity and agility, even faster than before. Making their blades glance off his chest plate, parrying thrusts, with a flick of his zweihandler, and slashing at some of them, forcing them to back off as to not ruin the illusion.
Learning from his previous mistake he also shattered whatever glyphs Weiss attempted to place down with his arts, overwhelming the capacity of her glyphs to absorb spells with seeking Arts lances made out of light that he kept firing off from the tip of his Arts-imbued sword.
"So, THIS, is the power of a Silverlance Pegasi." thought the Caprinae as her nearly successful thrust on his wrist was redirected at the last moment. Another strike from a construct was parried by the cross guard of his great sword at that same moment followed by a slash that almost got another one.
Things continued like this for a while, with her opponent occasionally creating small shields to block a potentially match-ending strike. But then it happened. As her construct was trying to stab him, her opponent stretched his palm out to blast it in half.
No longer did he have to create miniature shields as began slashing and lopping off parts of her Arts construct. He had adapted to the patterns and attacks of her and the clones. This continued until only 6 remained, including her, and one of them had an entire arm chopped off. It was not going well for her was very much evident.
Internally, she was slightly panicking. She was trying to think of a way to get that one hit she needed to make him bleed when something happened. A second too late for a dodge. An upward slash. All she saw was a black blur approaching her eye and the next thing she knew; a searing pain had engraved itself on her face and eyelids. It stung. It was painful. All she could offer was a grunt in response. It was very unladylike, but less so compared to what came next. The next thing she knew, the air was driven of out of her as an armored shoulder bash had pushed all of it from her lungs. The initial hit staggered her and broke her concentration, making the light and the constructs vanish and crumble. A series of hits connected to her at blinding speed. A right hook to her stomach, a kick to her right knee, and then finally, a knee to her right temple that sent her tumbling like a broken doll.
She could not remember the sounds she made that time as all that she felt was overwhelming pain. It was only adrenaline, her will, and the pain tolerance she earned from her mother and sister's brutal training that kept her conscious. She groaned as she rolled from her side, lying flat on her back. Her other eye had been forced open by the intense pain she experienced, staining her vision red on one side.
She could not see a thing as the morning light had blinded her eyes
"Light?" She thought. She was facing her back towards the window when it all happened. Now, she had no more tricks up her sleeves. No glyphs, no constructs, 90% of her Arts reserves, no time to cast spells, no agility to fight. She still had her Arts unit and rapier but she had nothing else. Just the light burning her retinas
Sunlight...
An idea began to form in her head. A desperate, mad, and frankly, stupid one. But she could not care. She was desperate to win. To be free. For that, she was willing to do anything for that measure of freedom.
"Yield or suffer." A deep voice told her. It was her opponents. Deeply insulted by the notion, she forced her, screaming leg to stand up and spat back at him. Quite literally with the blood from her bleeding eyelids that dripped into her mouth, giving it a very coppery taste.
"Never. Not till my horns are broken."
A small chuckle was all she heard from him as she summoned several glyphs close to him, all tilted to have the edges facing toward him. It was how her sister and mother fought with their glyphs; hence he promptly shattered them with a pulse of blinding light Arts which made her squint. Just as she wanted. Straining her injured leg, she lunged straight into the light head-on with both her sore sword arm and tired Arts unit arm tucked in for a thrust. Using her glyphs as a distraction, she channeled her remaining arts reserve into projecting a blade of pure light jutting out from the originium core of her arts unit. Using the light as a smoke screen, she lunged at him, knowing he would use the pulse both to destroy her glyphs and cast a shield. That's why she thrust Myrtenaster first with all her might, causing a spike of pain to flow through it as she felt her shoulder dislocate as she broke the barrier
Pulling through the agony, she thrusted Requiem Lustra just half a second later. Pouring every last inch of her arts reserve into the blade of light. Focusing all of her Arts to the tip, she then condensed it into a single point before launching it forward like an arrow.
She could not see if she succeeded or not as the world turned white and she was blasted away by the retaliatory arts explosion ties to the shield spell.
Pain was all she the only word she could use to describe what she felt that time.
Her arms were in excruciating pain
Her legs, especially her right one, screamed at her in pain
Her back painfully scrapped against the ballroom's floor.
Her head had hit the floor, causing a burst of pain to overwhelm much of her senses, excluding her sense of pain.
The wound on her face was opened even more, ensuring it will never heal properly and remain as a painful reminder of that day.
The last thing she saw was the light of the morning sun before it was blocked by a blurry figure in white. Her sister as she learned later. Just as she felt the soothing effects of her sister's healing Arts, her consciousness began to fade. She could not hear whatever words were being spoken to her as her eyes fell down like a stage's curtain.
...
"Thinking about it now, Sir Zygmunt must have been holding back. He was clearly capable of much more force and wasn't even trying at all before she tossed him to the roof. But why? Was it his sister, Sophia? Did she plead him to somewhat hold back to her? She wouldn't have known. Was it her sister? Winter doesn't seem the type to…"
Weiss could not stop pondering over the fight as she observed her childhood friend as she sat with some of Weiss's fellow alumni from the university. She seems to be in good company considering she sat with Franziska Hapsburg and Willhelm Oldenburg. Amiable acquaintances who were great company, Weiss noted absentmindedly. Sophia seemed ever the shy, well-reserved girl she knew from before.
"Young Mistress?"
Turning her head around, she saw Klein in his usual attire as a butler.
"The ensemble's waiting for you so the performance may start."
Rising up from her seat, Weiss walked ahead with Klein only slightly behind her. Climbing down the stairs, Klein spoke gently.
"Mistress, you received letters from home."
"Who are the senders?"
"Your mother, Willow Schnee-Śnieżyczyńska and." Klein paused for a bit before adding mischievous, high-pitched mocking tone to his words. "His Highness, the President and CEO of the Schnee Originium Mining Conglomorate Incorporated. Jacques Schnee-Śnieżyczyńska."
Klein's falsetto earned a snort from Weiss as she kept walking towards the backstage.
"What were its contents?" inquired Weiss as she trusted Klein to read them for her.
"Your father wants you to get a deal with a mining conglomerate in Ursus, The Boris Group. Their headquarters is in Chernoborg, which you'll pass by on your way to Lungmen."
"Mother's?"
"Asking you to comply with your father's request so she can leverage it against him for next year's Special Knight Tournament."
Weiss could only sigh as she shook her head in resignation. Sometimes it really didn't feel like she was free from them, even after her victory.
"I suppose it really does pour when it rains."
Weiss continued walking until she entered the backstage. The orchestra and the choir was readying itself as she saw her other, non-Higashinese friend wave at her. The string section were tuning their strings, the xylophonists and drummers were practicing their parts, while the piano section were likewise practicing their keys. Several of the singers were also practicing notes and lines later for some of the operas, something she's already done earlier.
In the midst of them was the one she was looking to talk to before it started. Today's conductor and the brains behind this ambitious Leithanian cultural project, Eva Maulberee, one of her few friends from Ludwig University. The blonde vixen who got the approval of the Kurfürsten and even the Twin Empresses to tour Terra and showcase Leithanian culture to the other nations. It was a sound diplomatic and cultural approach to allow the nations of Terra to see that Leithanien had at long last left the shadow of the Witch King. Approaching the blonde Vulpo, Weiss called out to her as she returned the wave.
"Eva!"
"Weiss! I was waiting for you. Ready to enlighten the Columbians of Leithanien's wonderful musical culture and traditions?"
Crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side for dramatic effect, Weiss replied with a jab at her friend's unusual tendencies.
"Of course, but it won't be through a day-long presentation with charts and graphs like what you did to the Kurfürsten. The audience might get overwhelmed seeing that unfurl on a theatre."
"Oh? then you better perform well then, because the charts will roll out if I see anyone falling asleep at your opening performance." Was the challenge and jest of her friend.
Looking around them, the two of them silently observed the musicians, singers, dancers, and stage people preparing themselves before the curtain rose. A look of unease plastered on her face was all that her friend needed to discern her.
"So, what did you wish to tell me?"
"My mother and father wish for me to stop by Chernoborg for some business nonsense. Thought I might as well inform you ahead of time."
"Really now? Sounds to me you are asking me out for a date…" Teased the gold-eyed woman.
"Oh, come on now, I'm not that crass nor am I a nervous wreck to ask you out in such an unsubtle manner. Who do you think I am?" pouted Weiss.
"I just… feel upset. I feel like not much has changed in my life, despite being far away from those 'two'. I still feel trapped in a cage despite being nominally free from their grasp."
Placing a hand at her shoulder, Eva shook her head
"Come now, Weiss. I'm sure once this tour is over and successful, something I can assure you is guaranteed!" bragged Eva as she continued optimistically "They might relent to finally let you off the family business once they see you being swarmed with contracts and jobs to do from the Ensemble and the big-name music companies like MSR. I am sure something good will come out of this by the end of this, for all of us."
"Yeah… maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just being too cynical…"
Taking a deep breath before exhaling it, Weiss looked at her friend gratefully. "Thank you, I feel much better now."
"Well then, let's get this 'show on the road' as they say in Columbia!" grinned her excited friend.
Walking past her friend, Weiss headed to her position in the center of the stage as she braced herself.
She can hear the voice of the announcer, Mr. Hoffman, echoing from beyond the curtain as she closed her eyes and listened in anticipation.
"For tonight's opening act please listen to Miss Weiss Schnee-Śnieżyczyńska's original composition, "Mirror Mirror" in Victorian."
Smoke from the special effects team began to spew from off-stage as everyone braced themselves, her included.
With that, the curtains rose as the stage light focused on her spot. Opening her eyes, she opened her mouth, allowing a pulse of Arts to accompany her voice.
"Mirror, tell me something."
As frost began to lightly spread on the floor as she took a step.
"Tell me who's the loneliest of all…"
….
Author's Notes: Heya, everyone. The revision part surprisingly only took until late March for most, but due to some real-life stuff, I haven't really had the time to finish the revision of the chapter till now. So yes, Weiss is gonna be our focus for the hypothetical first arc. At first, I really didn't plan to make the Trailers and just jump straight to chapter 0, but I really couldn't get a grasp of how to write the arc. I think, after the Trailers, I really should cut down on polishing the chapters too much.
Weiss' race here and affiliations is for me, what makes the most sense, considering her grandfather, Nicholas Schnee, was seen in full-plate armour and her inclination to music that the show often ignored or underutilized. Weiss is, and always has been a spellcaster for me, so it makes sense she is Leithanian but with a Kazimierzan heritage. Here, she has a weaker bladework but far more phenomenal Arts to compensate. Her glyphs here act much more differently from the show if you noticed and that is to actually fit her semblance into Arts, much like Ruby and her silver eyes + Semblance.
Special thanks to my Polish friend who helped me with the Polish names. It's often a thing that isn't so prominent with the early depiction of Kazimierz, the presence of more people with Polish names. That isn't the case anymore from Maria Nearl onwards, especially during An Obscure Wanderer when a lot of the NPC's names are actually just Polish.
As for the other Trailers, Black Trailer now has a start, but I have yet to finish the draft, meanwhile Yellow Trailer's draft is almost done. As I watched the original Black Trailer, I've realized that Adam actually takes up most of Blake's screen time and kinda shafts her in her own trailer. So no more Adam, he will instead be Talulah's simp.
With all of that out of the way, how's the story? Any criticism or recommendations? I'd appreciate any, especially towards my first proper fight scene that took up most of the 6000+ word count here.
As for those confused about the noble titles, here is a translation of it:
Gräfin = Countess
Markgraf = Margrave
Erherzogin = Archduchess
Herzogin = Duchess
Herzog = Duke
Only Kurprinzessin is invented because Kurprinz has no female counterpart from what I read in both German and English Wikipedia.
Till next time then!