Willow
She stands at the garden outside of the Schnee manor with her hands clutching to a glass of wine. And for the first time in a very long time, the once beautiful taste of red wine has ceased to be delightful to her. The taste has turned to ash, and she throws the red wine into one of the bushes, rolling her large blue eyes, and she storms away from the bush that has been sculpted into the shape of a Beowulf. Her stomps echo through the gardens of the Manor, past the bushes and she pushes past one of the Atlesian Civilians, the same one in fact who was mouthing off about Vale, stating that they deserved what happened at Beacon. Weiss really showed her what happens when one speaks ill of her home like that, because people died. Willow approaches the doors and she pushes them open, like her white dress glistens like the frost on the wintry cobblestone floor that she traversed across. Her small crown around her head seems to glow as the bright sun reflects off it, her breath visible in the icy cold clouds of vapour leaving her lips.
She looks down the hallway and she starts to make her way down towards something. The cell of Ironwood is ahead of her, he is still trapped inside there. He has not been out of there in a couple days now. Everything is so peaceful here at Atlas, so quiet...it is extremely unnerving how the world seems to care little about the place at the moment. It is extremely bizarre how they are not more worried, with the Knights of Grimm gliding through the skies, claiming the lives of whomever their predatory eyes feast on. She sees the two Atlesian Guards stood by his cell and she crosses her arms, very much like her daughters in her expressive nature, and the same sorts of looks that she gives people, of complete and utter disgust most of the time. Just like any Schnee would. "You can leave your posts; I wish to speak to the prisoner alone." Willow demands.
The soldiers stand their grounds, holding the rifles in their hands. "Our apologies, ma'am, but the prisoner is not allowed to be spoken to without the authority of Mr Jacques Schnee." The Soldier speaks to her, remaining in their posts.
"I'm his wife." She says to them, hoping that it could clear anything up, tilting her head at them as she stands there. The soldiers look at her.
"But –"
"What do you think I'm going to do? Open the door without any keys? Let a criminal rampage through my home?" She scoffs, and the Guards look surprised. Either by how she is completely correct in her statements, or that she is sober and not in the garden. It is one of the two possibilities, and they don't seem to bother questioning her logic.
"Yes ma'am." The guards both say, nodding and walking away. She watches them as they leave, and she waits until they have fully turned the corner and left the two of them, divided by a thick metal door that even Ironwood can't break out of. She sighs with relief when the soldiers leave.
"Criminal?" Ironwood scoffs from inside the cell, and Willow looks at the door and she walks towards it, pressing her hand against it.
"You know I didn't mean that, just a show to get the guards to go away." She says gently, and affectionately. Ironwood is sat against the door, his metal arm against his knee; he shuts his eyes and sighs as he sits there.
"Was I really that blind?" Ironwood asks her with amazement in his voice, and his question makes her look at the door, trying to see him in the darkness through the grates in the metal door.
"Blind to what?" She inquires curiously.
"I let that goddamn bastard take over my entire army, feed his own forces inside, and I never noticed – I thought I could trust him." Ironwood sighs. The cold silence in the atmosphere of Atlas makes it feel as if they should be quieter about the things that they are talking about. As if someone could be listening to their every word, the very thin ice that the Remnant Society stands upon is cracking and cracking every day. The Knights will not aid the living for much longer; their quest for planetary extinction will go forward. And it seems that Willow has finally realised this, and has quit her alcohol problems to try and help stop what is coming. Starting with her own power hungry husband.
She looks down at where he sits, her hand caressing the metal. "You couldn't have known, James – none of us did." She says to him to try and comfort him with her gentle voice.
"I should have known, though! It's my job as a general of Atlas to protect us from people like him, and now I have just let him take my entire army!" He grunts with anger, his fist tightening. He slams his metal fist down into the ground with force with anger, sending cracks dancing across the floor, dust puffing up from the floor. Willow jumps from the loud crack but she stands her ground. She slows her heart down and then she brings her soft voice back to try and calm him down again.
"James..." She whispers, to calm him and he seems to go quiet. "...you can't do everything yourself." She says to him. James sighs and he closes his eyes to listen to her voice but all he feels is guilt.
"I will not bring you into this, Willow, this is my punishment." He says. "I bet you regret ever spending that night of ours together, don't you?" He chuckles when looking at the circumstance that they are both trapped in. She holds the metal with her hands and she looks down at where he is with astonishment in her face.
"No – I cherish the night we had, I'd never trade it for anything." Willow says to him and he looks up at the door where she is right now. "You treated me the way he used to, better than he used to..." She adds. "You made me feel loved, not just a tool to get higher up in the hierarchy, to become more powerful." She explains. "When you held me, kissed me...it was real."
He sits there, and the real reason why he dares not show himself to her is because he is afraid, he loves her and he does not want to show that love in case of losing her in the process. She grits her teeth and she starts to get angry at speaking to the shadows. "Damn it, James, look at me!" She shouts, begging him as she shakes the door. James is the one jumping now and he presses his hand to the floor and he stands back up and looks at her through the only source of light in this dungeon of a cell. He presses his hands against the door and he looks at the beautiful woman, she is much younger than Jacques is, perhaps nearly ten years younger than he is. But as she said, he never married her for love.
He married her for power.
He married her to win.
James sighs as he looks down at the floor before looking into her sapphire eyes once more. She has been longing for him, because she loves him, and it is very clear that she feels the same way. "Here I am." James says to her with the shrug of his shoulders, and it pains her to see how tired he looks. Bags formed under his eyes, it is like he has not slept in weeks, even though he has only been in there for a couple days at this point. She touches his hand with hers, looking straight into his eyes. It is unknown if Jacques knows that Willow has been sleeping with Jacques behind his back, but that would still not be his reasoning behind why he has him locked up in here like some crazed criminal.
"I will get you out of here, James, I promise." She says to him.
"Your servant – Klein – he said that he has been trying to get a message out to Winter about what is happening right now. Has she responded?" James asks her.
"He hasn't said anything." She nervously says, her voice trembling at the thought of what could happen to her precious daughters. James can see her discomfort. "Gods...I have been a terrible mother to my children, spent most of my time around them drinking my life away instead of raising them as I should – instead I let that monster of a father corrupt my son." She snarls in anger as she thinks of what Whitley is becoming, someone who is extremely bloodthirsty and would stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.
Like father like son.
She then looks at her true love behind the cell door. "I will get you out." She promises.
"How?" He asks her curiously.
"I have a meeting with the President, and the rest of the Council. I am going to say that I am holding your seat for now. And I am going to try and get on Brimstone's side. Get him to see the truth about Jacques, once he understands, he will free you and put Jacques in the cell instead as punishment." Willow explains to him, certain that her plan will work perfectly. He holds her hand gently, rubbing his thumb across the skin on her hand. She then leans against the door and she and him manage to kiss each other affectionately, holding it for as long as they can. "I love you." She says to him affectionately, smiling. Ironwood smiles as she steps away.
"I'll be here." He says with a smirk on his face.
But when she turns, she freezes in place, her blood turning cold when she sees the individual staring at her.
What is she doing here?
The Onyx Phantom stands right behind her, the hood pulled over to cast the shadow that conceals her true identity. The orange eyes glaring right into the eyes of the Schnee Woman. She holds her ground and looks right at the skilled assassin, she knows who she is. She has been well-informed about the situation that the Schnee Family name is currently in. And the name is on rocky ground of falling into the predicament of becoming the name of the enemy. One that could destroy everything. The Onyx Phantom remains a mute as always, and she remains still. "Who are you?" Willow questions.
"Oh, it does not matter who she is, my dear." A familiar voice speaks. She turns to the hallway to see a man in tactical attire and a metal arm, a rifle slung over his shoulder and a glass of wine in his hand. He has his blonde hair slicked backwards so it is not in his eyes and he has a couple of scars on his face. He also has more implants than when they last saw him. He has a very sinister presence, and little does she know that this man is the same one that attacked her oldest child and her companions.
The Mercenary Captain that survived Jaune's attack, given a Cybernetic Implant. His name was Ridley. "And who might you be?" She asks him.
"Oh, I don't keep the same name for more than a week." He chuckles. "Today my name is Scarlet David." He says with a bow. He is using the names of those who have been killed, either by him or by his allies to conceal who he truly is. It seems that now there are two unknowns in the area, the Onyx Phantom and the Captain. She notices a nametag on his armour and it just says Spectre. Until his name is unveiled, that would be an acceptable title for this man. "I know who you are, very well." He says, holding her hand and kissing it, winking at her as well. She takes her hand from him and crosses her arms once more, not breaking eye contact.
"What do you want from me?" She questions.
"Oh – it's not you I want." He says. "I simply would like to ask if you know anything on the whereabouts of your daughters...we are in a dire hurry to help them out." He lies, and she knows exactly what they want to do to them and their friends. But she maintains her appearances.
"I wish I did, but ever since the Fall of Mistral, we have been unable to find their whereabouts, I'm afraid." She says to the two assassins. The Spectre nods his head up and down, chuckling as he takes a cupcake from a tray that Klein is carrying out. He is making it clear that he must have some kind of information to give to Willow, but he has just seen the two individuals speaking to her. He stabs into one of them with a weapon, that weapon being his arm. The metal plates shift and the hand folds away into the forearm, the other end emerges and it is a huge razor sharp, hook. He lifts the cupcake to his mouth and eats it on his hook-hand that is built into him.
She stares at the arm and he spots her look. "Oh, d'ya like it?" He questions with a smirk as he lifts the hook up a little bit. "So do I, top notch engineering by Merlot Industries. Can't wait to see what else they have in store for us." He says as he laughs, eating more of the cupcake. He lowers the hook and looks at her and he looks up and down her trim, attractive body in the dress. The dress is silver and covers her front and some of her spine and completely covering her lower half, but her sides are fully showing. Her hair is done up in the same way as Weiss' is done. He is completely checking her out like a sly dog and he nods at her, like he likes her. "Damn, sweetheart, you've aged pretty well for yourself haven't ya?" He laughs, and then he looks at the painting on the wall. "That painting doesn't do you any justice." He says as he looks back at her. He then walks closer to her and whispers into her ear. "Wanna fool around later?" He whispers with a smirk.
She pushes him away and he laughs. "I'm married, asshole." She snarls, despite cheating on her husband with James Ironwood, it seems she is doing this to get freaks like him away from her. He looks at her, and there is a quirky expression on his face.
"That's hypocritical coming from you, darling." He points out, truthfully. She glares at him and he chuckles as he walks back towards her. "Don't worry, honey, I won't spill – although, we could really have some clues of how to find them, our boss'll be mighty hacked off otherwise." He says with a whisper. "Hate for your secret to be public knowledge, wouldn't you? Sleeping around with the General of the Atlesian Fleet behind your husband's back?" He speaks, using the guilt to manipulate her into working with him. He then pats her head disrespectfully. "Think about it, until then, see you around sexy." He says as he walks away, swinging his scythe shaped hook to the side, throwing the cupcake onto the floor and leaving it there. He continues to walk on, and her eyes turn to the Onyx Phantom. The Phantom rolls her eyes and then follow after him, not from loyalty, just because it is her job to do so.
It seems that now Weiss and Winter, well all of them, have a pair of Assassins hunting them now.
Willow clenches her hand into a fist from anger due to the disrespect he placed upon her. He looks back at her with a smirk, vanishing with her as a crowd walk in front of him and as they pass, they are gone.
Just like a Phantom.
And just like a Spectre.
She exhales when she is finally free from the company of the ghosts and she continues on her path to meet with the Council.
But before she goes any further, she sees Klein waiting for her, still adopting that disguise of his to not seem suspicious. He lowers the empty tray and holds it by his side. "Are you alright, Miss Schnee?" He asks her with concern.
"Oh, just some asshole, nothing to worry about Klein." She says to him, easing his concerns. "Did she respond?" Willow asks. Klein reaches into his jacket pocket and he gives her his scroll which has a response on it.
Weiss recovered from Death
Knight attacks are getting worse
Might have found a possible trail into stopping them
Ruby Rose captured
One of the Knights is an ancient Schnee
Bad things are coming,
Stay safe,
Winter Schnee
Winter
The oldest of the Schnee offspring lowers her scroll after sending the message a few minutes earlier to Klein, unknowingly realising that he is the Maestro. Weiss is asleep on a bed offered to her by one of the Tribesmen who lives there. She is snuggled into the pillow, recovering from the nightmares that Fear put in her head. Of her father attacking her when she was only little as punishment for something she did not understand, or even do to begin with. She shudders every now and then, muttering to herself as she sees her nightmares. Everyone who experienced the power of the two Knights have been having issues with sleeping, either from nightmares or waking up in tears because of Loss' ideas she planted in them. Winter looks out the window and Jaune is stood outside with Crocea Mors gripped in both hands as he trains to Pyrrha's video which is on loop. "Shield up, keep you grip tight, don't forget to keep your front foot forward." It continues to play and play and play in the background as he trains there.
Sun has been watching over Blake, holding her close so then she has a shoulder to cry on when she breaks down from seeing her parents in her sleep again. Loss may seem like she cares, but she is still extremely cold. There is more to her than simply meets the eye, there is true compassion, like she does not really want to do these things but she feels like she has no choice. And that is a point that Winter cannot get out of her head for some reason, the fact that Loss is a Schnee. Those were definitely Schnee Glyphs, and she said that her name was Starla Schnee. She thinks to herself as she stands beside her sleeping sister about what she learned, and she knows that Weiss should learn the truth sooner or later.
Winter crouches down beside her sleeping sister, proceeding to touch her arm and gently moving her to wake her back up. "Hey." She whispers. "Wake up, you boob." She whispers again, and then her large blue eyes open up and she looks at her sister.
"Winter? What's wrong?" She asks her bigger sister.
"I need to tell you something, it's important." Winter says to her, and Weiss looks at her older sister quizzically.
"Are you pregnant?" She asks abruptly and Winter double takes at Weiss in complete bewilderment from how she managed to come to that scenario.
"Wait what?" She questions.
"Is it Qrow's?" She asks, pushing further into this bizarre idea she has in her head.
"What – no!" She dismisses. "How did you even get to that conclusion?" Winter questions her sister.
"I know you, Winter – you like a badass and I've also seen the way you look at him." She says to her older sister.
"God no, anyway I need to talk to you about something. You have a right to know." She says as she grabs her sister's arm and rips her out of bed. Weiss yelps as she is pulled up to her feet and dragged away, into the courtyard. Jaune is training in the other courtyard on the other side of the building, so then they don't disturb him. They both walk outside into the cold world, the sun set and the fractured moon in the sky.
"Gods...it's freezing out here." She whimpers as she holds her sleeveless arms.
"Weiss – It's important." She says to her.
Weiss now is paying full attention to her. "What is it?" Weiss asks.
"We got into a tangle with the Knight of Loss, Raven and I...when we were fighting, she did something that took me by shock." She explains.
"What did she do?" Weiss asks curiously, tilting her head.
"She manifested a Glyph, exactly like ours." She explains. "She is a Schnee, Weiss – one of the Knights is a Schnee." She says to her, and Weiss' eyes widen in disbelief, taking a couple steps back. Firstly she has just learned that her family name travels all the way back to the Arkhoni Period and secondly one is a Knight. Weiss stammers as she tries to comprehend what she has just been told, walking around the grassy area that they stand by. She then stops and looks at her sister.
"She's a Schnee?" She questions.
"I know, it shocked me as well." Winter agrees. "And she told me her name – and she is someone I haven't heard of. And I went through the family records a few years ago because I was bored and I never saw her name." Winter explains.
"Wait, what was her name?" Weiss quickly asks.
"She said her name was Starla Schnee." She answers, and Weiss tries to think back on the records to see if she recognises the name. But just like her older sister, she does not remember hearing that name anywhere. It is like her name was taken and swiped from all records, as if she never existed.
"I don't know that name." Weiss says to her, walking around the area and sitting down on a bench. Weiss sighs. "As if the Schnee name couldn't get any worse." She scoffs.
"Well – I don't think it was Starla's choice, she is Loss after all." Winter says, supporting the side of a Knight, surprisingly.
"I know, but with everything that has been happening, the name does sound like the enemy right now." She sighs to the floor. Winter walks over to her and sits down beside her, she can read her sister very well and she looks at her. Weiss is still holding Myrtenaster, holds it in her sleep all the time, in case. Ever since Death stabbed her with Ferrum Arctus, it must have made her realise that she isn't invincible.
"What's wrong?" She asks Weiss.
"Fear..." She answers and Winter nods as she starts to understand.
"What did you see?" Winter inquires.
"It was a memory, when he attacked me for no reason, hit mom as well. You weren't there; it was the first time I realised what kind of a man he truly is." She explains, fiddling with the hilt of her sword. Winter puts her arm around her sister and lets her head fall against her shoulder.
"Hey, we'll get through this, I promise." Winter assures, looking after her little sister. She might not have always been there for her.
But she has always put her first.
Above everything in her life.
Even her career. She pats her little head and she stands up, heading back to her bed to sleep again, or at least try to. They don't really know how long the after effects of Fear's Toxin lasts for, but it is unlikely to last a couple of days.
But when she is alone, she starts to look at her physique, trying to figure out why she thought she was going to say that she was pregnant. Even if the whole crush thing was true, why would she jump straight to that? She is still thin and toned as ever and there is no bulging stomach that cold resemble pregnancy. "Pregnant? With Qrow? I don't – feel that way." She stammers, and yet her nervousness shows the truth, showing a side to her than none have seen before. But when she stands there, she looks over her shoulder and her eyes widen when she sees Qrow stood there, leant against the wall with his flask of alcohol in his hand.
A smirk so big it nearly reaches off his face. She glares right at him and he is about to speak and she immediately points her finger at him. "Utter one word and I will slap you into next week." She threatens with stern eyes, stopping Qrow in his tracks.
And yet Qrow...he just can't help himself.
"Pregnant, huh?" Qrow asks with a chuckle. Winter pushes her tongue into her bottom lip, turning her head and then swinging her open palm into the side of his head with force.
"Ow!"
Willow
The mother of the Schnees walks towards a huge structure in the Atlesian City, a place outside of the Schnee Manor. There are multiple extremely expensive cars parked outside of it and she has made the journey on foot with her handbag in grip. The building is very large and she walks up it, towards the door. Engraved on the ebony door is the Atlas Emblem, the staff amongst multiple circles, black and white shades making it up. She pushes the doors open and there are maids and other servants walking around, offering things to the many guests at the building. She walks past the many servants, politely dismissing them as she enters the large room with a huge table where everyone is sat.
She enters and her eyes meet her husband's, who stands tall and his eyes glare right at her. He clearly did not expect to see her here; usually she stays in the garden. "Willow, my dear..." He speaks with confusion as he looks at her. Willow respectfully courtesies to her husband before taking a seat. And then the main door opens as the President emerges.
President Thaddeus Brimstone.
He is a tall and proud looking man with a shaven head and white beard. He has wrinkles coating his face and fierce hazel eyes, stepping before them all. He wears a black and red suit, but not in relevance to the Acolytes of Lien, simply because he is not like the others. It suits his last name – Brimstone. He is a very powerful looking man and he sits down in a chair, and everyone else takes their seats afterwards, clasping their hands together. Individuals from across the world of Remnant and many are missing due to the attacks. Like Professor Leonard Lionheart. And Professor Ozpin.
President Thaddeus Brimstone finally speaks with a very strong and commanding tone of voice. "Good evening everyone, good to see most have managed to make it here today, considering all the issues happening at the moment." He introduces to them all. He looks at Willow curiously.
"Good evening, Mr President." She greets with a gentle bow.
"Good evening to you, Miss Schnee, I must ask why you are in General Ironwood's seat however." Brimstone says to her reverentially.
"Well with him being tried at the moment for his crimes I have been asked to take his place for now." Willow answers to him, and two members here at the table do not seem to be as convinced as the President. Jacques Schnee and Darren Ortega, both sat on either end. And Ortega is the first to interject.
"Pardon the interruption, sir, but Miss Schnee has no place here in the presence of such sensitive military matters." Ortega objects as he glares at her, and Willow stares back. She is not blind; she knows that these two are up to something, something that would prove lethal to the people at this table. Ortega looks at her, but then the President speaks in return to him.
"If she has been entrusted with keeping the information shared at this table secret, then she can stay." The President says to him and Ortega looks right at him and sits back down in his seat. The President begins to speak to them all. "Now, we all know why we have all been called in. It is the same reason why Professor Ozpin and Professor Lionheart are not sat here at this table today. The Grimm are getting worse, and we know of the Knights of Grimm, their return is a big threat to our very existence, every land they glide across when the moon floats in our skies, it is most likely to claim the souls of the good people." Brimstone explains.
"Entire villages have been wiped out days apart from one another, it is physically impossible for there to be any way of the Four Knights doing these attacks themselves. There must be a second hand in this." One of the Politicians speaks up.
"You see that is where you are wrong." Jacques says, and Willow glares at him when he starts to speak to them, clasping his hands together. "I have a very reliable source, and he has been relaying information to me about the Knights and their movements." He explains.
"What have you been told?" Thaddeus asks him.
"That these – beings – are not bound by what we call natural, they are spirits. Like the Wild Hunt or the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, they are terrors far beyond our world and they will not stop. They can appear in many places at once and destroy them just as quickly." He explains to them, terrifying many people at this table that they are all around. And he is also telling the truth, perhaps to place doubt in their minds.
"Who is this source?" Willow asks him, challenging him. He looks at her with stern eyes.
"That is classified information, if I told people who he was then there would be no point in him being a secret. Only I can know of his true identity." Jacques explains, and he makes it sound like there is one individual. But there are many sources of information, Salem's band of monstrous individuals that serve her. But out of everyone, he has yet to meet any of the Knights. But one man at this table has seen one in person.
Ortega.
He saw and spoke to death aboard his ship not very long ago. "Well, if the information is reliable, then this makes things more difficult. If these beings are as you describe, then we have a bigger threat to face. We will need to focus our funds of scientific development to combat this enemy." Brimstone explains as he sits there.
"Well, that is where I bring good news." He chimes in again. "You see, General Ortega and I have taken interest against these Knights and we have a third member of our alliance who is working on the scientific development of weaponry itself. I only have so many funds, and the scientist is extremely skilled, he has already managed to give normal soldiers abilities that can make them lethal enemies against the Grimm." He explains.
"Who is this third party?" Brimstone asks.
"His name is Doctor Merlot." He says.
"The Mad Scientist from Mountain Glenn in Vacuo?" One of the Politicians question.
"Aye he is mad, but he has heart and he knows what is at stake. His advancements have helped the Acolytes of Lien become a lethal enemy against the Grimm, saving entire settlements from them and protecting them at all costs." Jacques explains. Willow seems to be the only person in the room who is not buying anything that he is saying, and Jacques knows that. But she knows she cannot do anything until she can come with proof if she wants to have him put in a cell for the rest of his days.
Brimstone leans into his chair. "I do not usually appreciate the work of mercenaries, but if what you say is true, then perhaps I might have to agree." He sighs as he looks at the Mercenary Shipmaster. The Shipmaster nods with a respectful smile.
The conversation seems to drown out as Willow stares at Jacques and he stares at her, both sides of the coin hating each other right now.
The debate continues and as they all leave afterwards, Jacques grabs her arm and pulls her behind a wall and stares at her as he pins her there. "What do you think you are doing?" Jacques snarls and she rips her arm from his grip, staring up at him.
"You will not get away with this, Jacques." She simply says as she walks away and leaves him behind. "You're obsessed with winning – I am going to make sure that you lose."