Chapter 10: A beacon of hope Part 1.
Nelyafinwe's foot slammed into the skull of the fallen enemy, breaking one of the black horns with a sickening sound. It was a pitiful sight in some ways, to see a warrior of such magnitude reduced to nothing more than a living corpse, a small ember of fire waiting for a light breeze to extinguish his last sparks of heat.
With his sword broken as a result of that reckless movement, he thought about taking the scarlet blade of his defeated rival. But perhaps he could give him one last mercy, one last gesture of kindness in gratitude for such a challenge.
His fingers embraced the hilt of the red weapon, familiarizing himself for a moment with its shape and weight, curious about the mechanisms in its design. He lightly kicked the body, lying face up, and then the tip of the blade descended on his former master's stomach, stabbing to the hilt and piercing the metal beneath it with a clean cut.
As the unconscious man coughed blood and tried to take his last breaths of air, The prince of the royal house of the Noldor adjusted his vest and turned around. He didn't bother to look back, because he didn't kill any men today.
Nelyafinwe only sacrificed a rabid animal.
"Mr. Branwen! Mr. Branwen! Please! Answer our questions!".
"Lisa Lavender here! Is it true that the White Fang was behind this attempted robbery!?".
"Did you let one of the terrorists escape!?".
"How do you justify the disappearance of half a freight train along with the loss of safety equipment!?".
Qrow would kill that kid, he would really kill him. A speech in front of the entire passenger crew was one thing, nothing that could not be silenced on its own as time went by, it would only remain anecdotes among rich people with no life of their own.
Fight the White Fang? Let a terrorist escape? Lose and destroy half a train? Newspapers and channels throughout Vale were going to fill their bellies with this. Like crows, no, vultures scavenged around him waiting to grab any piece of information, the amount of lights he saw disoriented him more than any beating he received in his entire career as a Hunstmen.
"God, I missed being drunk".
"Get out of my sight, you damned snakes! Spit your poison into some dark hole from which you came! ". On the other hand, the copper-haired boy didn't seem to have a much better time, of course, Qrow went to take the bullet for him, but it was clear that that didn't discourage the scavengers. The boy pushed aside anyone who got in his way as he tried to gently push Amber's rolling chair, who looked as jaded as the two men.
Well, jaded was a very soft and generous word. The girl was shouting insults like a drunk orc and the gestures of her hands made the Redhead's eyes widen. Very controversial words were vomited like poison as the group made their way through the crowd until they reached the Airship that would take them to Beacon.
Wherever Nelyafinwe came from, it was clear that it was a very backward place. As soon as they were able to take refuge in the Bullhead, the huge boy pushed the Maiden aside to stick to the walls like a limpet, trying to see as much as possible of the wing engines. It was a most bizarre image, considering that this was the same man who impaled a Faunus a few minutes ago.
Adam Taurus, an important figure in the White Fang. Unknown to the general public, but not to Ozpin who had eyes and ears everywhere. Before the station was flooded with journalists, the authorities had arrived to collect the body of the Bull Faunus from the car. It couldn't be mere coincidence that the train attacked by the White Fang conveniently carried a maiden.
On the other hand, bad luck was always with him. Qrow massaged his temples as he sat down, this was all going to be a headache.
Beacon Academy, he had heard that name since that Old Crow offered them his help and the opportunity to receive explanations. The architectural marvel in front of him was something not seen since Formenos, and it only confirmed that the man named Ozpin was beyond just a simple academic tutor.
On a precipice, rose a crown of black stone whose towers touched the clear afternoon sky, with each lamp shining like gems adorned by the walls and towers of black ivory. It was Noldor architecture, there was no doubt about that, whoever built this building must have come from their era, there was no other explanation.
In the middle of the main square, where he assumed was the hall intended for important events, stood a huge tower unlike any seen before in Middle Earth from the fortress of the Enemy. The enormous gears that moved the clocks at the top were visible even from the window of that ship sailing through the skies.
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" His savior's voice came from his left side. The two shared a pleasant silence as they took in the magnificent view from the clouds.
"It is, almost nostalgic I would say." Memories of two twins climbing trees in a square, while he struggled to keep up with them alone with Kano amused by setting such an absurd situation with improvised music.
"And you haven't seen the interior, you're going to love the dining room!".
"I am not hungry, but the offer of a tour with a friend will not be refused" he extended his only hand in confirmation, expecting to receive that of the maid who responded to the gesture with a smile.
"How generous, so now we're friends?".
"Nelyafinwe?" He was paralyzed, staring at nothing in shock. However, contrary to that occasion, his hands continued to gently hold Amber's palms.
"Nelyo."
"What?".
"My friends call me Nelyo".
Although the trip on the airship had undoubtedly been a new and fascinating experience, it ultimately turned out to be nothing memorable; a trip inside a ship would have had much more excitement. He would prefer to ride the back of one of the great eagles again, at least then he could feel the wind against his skin as he soared through the skies.
By the time the hatches opened allowing them to descend to dry land, a man was already waiting for them in the middle of the landing strip. It was…unusual.
Slightly taller than Qrow, and better dressed. He was older, if his gray hair was any indication but his eyes were even older, ancient, ethereal and at the same time curious, almost hidden behind a pair of dark glasses. He was dressed in black clothing of a similar style to his own although this one had the unique detail of a green scarf tied around his neck.
He leaned on a short cane, but it was clear that he had no physical handicap. This man was a warrior, he didn't need to be a genius to know that. Their gazes met as the prince got out of the vehicle, gently pushing the young woman in a wheelchair. Emerald and silver shared a single fleeting flash. He had no idea who he was, he knew his name, Ozpin, but other than that he was blind to any truth. But the Director recognized him, there was no doubt about that.
"Mae Govannen, son of Feanaro." He didn't stop when he heard the Director's voice echo in his mind like a soft whisper.
"This is an unexpected surprise, we will have a lot to talk about in a few moments."
"It's good to see that everyone has managed to arrive safely." If he sought to give them a warm welcome, he failed.
"For the most part." Amber clenched her fist.
"You have my sincerest apologies Miss Pine, believe me when I tell you that none of this would have happened if I could have prevented it."
"Are you sure about that?" The elf said in a sarcastic tone while pointing his gaze at the old Hunstmen next to him, who hung his head in shame. If that bothered the Headmaster, he didn't show it, and instead just adjusted his glasses with his little finger.
"Please come with me."
The Beacon campus was even more spectacular up close. Large green gardens decorated the main square with young trees providing shade on a hot day. Multiple statues stood along the path to the tower, statues of what he assumed were heroes and lords from days before the construction of that building, but there were also images of those beasts of darkness represented as enemies fallen in defeat.
Undoubtedly inspiring images for children. Then he saw it... The prince stopped halfway, and consequently so did the Maiden.
"Nelyo?" Amber looked up to see a statue slightly larger than the others, carved from white marble depicting a warrior resting on the back of a fallen Beowulf. Dressed in armor and with long hair, a solemn expression was carved on his handsome face as he played a small harp.
With a gesture, the Maiden indicated that he should approach the inscription at the foot of that work of art.
"The Bard of Mountain Glenn." She murmured in a reverential whisper.
"When there is time, I will tell you the story behind it, it is one of my favorites."
"Hey!, don't be left behind!" croaked the Old Crow.
After going up an elevator, the group finally reached the director's office, which rested right at the highest point of the tower. A huge, almost empty stone room, resting under the gears of a giant clock, whose only decoration was the glass table in the center and many, many, now empty bird houses.
"Chocolate?" Ozpin offered a mug which Amber reluctantly accepted.
"Give me that!" That woman seriously loved chocolate.
"Cookies?". And he held out a plate.
"Oz, that plate is empty." It was true, there were only crumbs on the shiny surface of the metal.
"I swore I had a dozen…"
"Enough of the games, we came here looking for answers, Director." The redhead said as he wiped the crumbs from his cheek. But he had a point, they weren't in the mood for formalities right now. Ozpin leaned back in his chair and put both hands together in a thoughtful gesture before speaking.
"Those who attacked you were after your power." He said seriously as he looked at the woman in front of him. Amber seemed a little confused about it, but wasted no time in peppering the director with questions.
"My Semblance?"
"No, something older. Have you ever noticed it? When you concentrate, when you let all those emotions release. That beautiful song that is recited from the sea, the wind and the land." The maiden looked at her palm thoughtfully as she tried to manifest her aura with closed eyes".
"I always thought it was something different… my Semblance." Sometimes she could hear it, a melody more beautiful than any other, without voice or instruments, just an immaculate recital composed of all the elements of the world.
"It is the Power of a Maiden." The confirmation was followed by a long sip of chocolate as he waited for the girl to process the revelation. She frowned, trying to connect the dots, until Qrow decided to help her.
"Yes girl, like in the bedtime story you used to listen to, You are one of the Maidens, Autumn."
"How?... I never met a... I don't have sisters...".
"You are not the same one in the story, but the last reincarnation, a young woman with the power to manipulate the elements." As the director went into more details, about a tale of a hermit wizard and four sisters, Nelyo placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. Amber sought comfort in that hand, clinging to it as if it were a single lifeline.
The prince did not care for the tales invented by the Second Sons, many of them were nothing more than erroneous legends corrupted by Morgoth that contradicted the real events that shaped the world, not to mention that they were mostly incompatible with each other. They were just stories that Men used to deceive themselves.
"Can I call my family?" She seemed somewhat melancholic, but no tears fell from those beautiful eyes that gave rise to her name.
"Of course. But, Miss Pines, I must ask you not to mention anything about this conversation. Please, it is for your safety." She nodded as she pushed the wheels herself to the exit, Ozpin motioned with his gaze to the Hunstmen to follow her and then the elf and the headmaster were alone.
"Speak, sorcerer. What are you? It is clear that you are not one of the second children."
"Heh, it seems that my eyes gave me away, I admit that it has been a while since I have engaged in conversation with someone almost as old as me, that or perhaps you are more perceptive, I would expect nothing less from a Prince of the Noldor."
"How do you know who I am?".
"It is difficult not to know the story of one of the most infamous Elves of the first Age. Records from that time still survived, I collect them, they are nostalgic." He took a sip of coffee as he leaned back in his chair. Nelyo stared at him with an intensity so sharp it could cut metal.
"I never imagined that I would be facing Nelyafinwe, Maitimo, The Lord of Himring, although at that time you were known as Maedhros the Tall." He lowered his glasses letting his emerald eyes come into view.
"As for me; Well, I have had many names".
"Killer!".
"Traitor!".
"Butcher!"
"I was Alatar in the West. Romestamo in the South and Haimenar in the East. I never traveled north until recently, but everyone now knows me as Ozpin."
Mae Govannen Eruhini~✨
Salutations!~✨
Do you think I should take a break and work on other projects? I feel like I'm too focused on this. Maybe Jimmy's Semblance is contagious?. In any case, I think that with this the setting is already defined, in the next chapter things will be somewhat boring for those who expect action or great revelations.
Any criticism or review is welcome.
Namárië!~✨