Chapter 26: The Invincible Girl's Mother
A/N: Just a reminder, new chapter here officially means new chapter over on the P atreon now, where my patrons are currently voting on the future direction of this story!
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"Your mother? I assure you, girl, that I know the name of every General in the Mistralian Army. My life depends on that sort of intelligence! There is NO General Nikos if that fool of a father of yours didn't pay for a commission or something! So-!"
Jaune lifts a hand and finally cuts Raven off. Just one simple gesture, and the incensed older woman immediately backs down, her fear of him and his true nature leaving her speechless and subdued in an instant. The look on the face of Summer's new protégé as this happens is rather priceless, though at the moment, Jaune doesn't have time to explore that.
Summer seems to be having fun jerking Vernal around, and he's certainly not one to get in the older woman's way. Let her play, so long as it doesn't become a problem. Meanwhile…
Jaune looks to Pyrrha, who's also looking rather subdued. Not by Raven's little outburst, but by whatever knowledge that pretty head of hers seems to hold. Seeing as she clearly knows more than he does, Jaune catches Pyrrha's attention and holds it, his dark eyes locking her own in place.
"Explain."
"Y-Yes… o-of course. I… my mother and father are estranged. My father is Lord Nikos, and my mother… my mother was, while noble born, something of a black sheep in her family… because of her focus on martial pursuits above all else."
"Wait a second… no…"
"Raven, be silent."
Jaune's words cause the cowardly bandit leader to jerk back and click her teeth shut. Obviously, she's had some special revelation, likely figuring something out based solely on what Pyrrha has said so far. But Jaune honestly doesn't care, because its equally obvious that Pyrrha is about to tell him everything. If she holds anything back, THEN he might allow Raven to fill in the blanks. But until then, he's sick and tired of her interruptions.
Glancing over at Raven, Pyrrha bites her lower lip and continues her story.
"My mother was married to my father as a last ditch effort by her family to try and make her comport herself as a proper lady. But while she settled down just long enough to have me… she could never truly put aside the blade. In the end, she enlisted with the army, something that anyone can do in Mistral at any time, and something that her personal skill and strength allowed her to get away with. My father had no choice but to act like he allowed it."
Taking in a deep breath, Pyrrha looks down at the ground.
"However, my mother has never made any secret of how much she despises my father. She… has tried to be there for me over the years, to make sure I know that she loves me and always will, but my father has not made it easy. Her military service, while keeping him at bay, prevents her from being able to care for me as a parent should, leaving me in his care for large swathes of time."
Vernal suddenly curses, but to her credit, doesn't speak up. Still, it's obvious the other bandit in the room has also figured something out by this point. Curiouser and curiouser, but Jaune only has eyes for Pyrrha. She's clearly working herself up to the big reveal, but so long as she gets to the point sometime soon, he doesn't mind.
"… My mother has long despised my father, and thus is Mistral's only General who refuses to go by her family name, most of the time. I imagine that the only reason she is going by it now is that I'm involved, and she actually has cause to want to use our connection for the first time in order to… to get me to safety, o-or something. Usually… my mother goes by the name General Boudicca."
And there it is. The grand reveal, Jaune supposes. Except, neither he nor Summer really know who that is. Raven and Vernal definitely do though, and since Pyrrha is finally done speaking, at least from what Jaune can tell, he gestures to Raven to pick up the thread. The despondent looking bandit woman exhales slowly.
"General Boudicca is Mistral's strongest general, by most estimations. Despite her fiery red hair, she is commonly known for having a surprisingly even temperament, and the mind of a cunning strategist besides."
She pauses for a moment, and then speaks.
"We should leave. I can get us all out of here, you know! I promise, I have no intention of betraying you. If General Boudicca has the camp surrounded, the Branwen Tribe is through. But that doesn't mean we-!"
"Enough."
Jaune's tone is sharp, and Raven immediately clams up again. He looks at her for a long moment, before the corner of his mouth quirks up. He can't help it, he's amused.
"To think, you were so afraid of me… and now you're more afraid of this human woman. Is she really that terrifying? Do you really think she's stronger than me?"
Raven blanches at the question, and hurriedly shakes her head back and forth. Pyrrha, on the other hand, isn't quite so afraid of him.
"Jaune… my mother is commonly referred to as the 'Queen of Victory' by her soldiers. She's beloved in the Mistralian Army, and even by the citizenry beyond… because she's never lost a battle. She has, quite literally, never known defeat. And until two years ago, most of the combat she and her troops saw… were against Grimm."
Jaune raises an eyebrow at that, curious if that's supposed to scare him. Raven, meanwhile, curses some more and mutters under her breath.
"… Can't believe I didn't make the connection between the damn Invincible Girl and the Queen of Victory. Shit! Shit, shit, shit!"
This all seems a bit much. It's just one human woman. Granted, she has an army backing her up, but all the same… Jaune sighs and shakes his head. He had, briefly, considered immediately moving to crush the enemy all by himself. But he's glad he stopped to hear Pyrrha out first, because he would have been mad at himself if he'd hurt the girl's mother out of turn.
From the sound of things, this was all just one big misunderstanding. It was never his intention to hold Pyrrha hostage, after all, nor was it his intention to maintain control of the Branwen Tribe for longer than it took Pyrrha to recover from her injuries. At this point in time… he could just hand Pyrrha over to her mother and be on his way, right? He'd let Raven come with, since she made for excellent transportation. And if Summer wanted Vernal, she could have her as well. Meanwhile, this General Boudicca could have the rest of the Branwen Tribe who had been foolish enough not to desert by this point in time. Hell, he'd even give her some directions to where those who HAD already left had gone. Should be a nice little feather in her cap, right?
Yes, that would-
"JAUNE ARC! THIS IS GENERAL BOUDICCA OF THE MISTRALIAN ARMY! THE CAMP IS SURROUNDED! COME OUT WITH MY DAUGHTER UNHARMED AND I WILL CONSIDER GRANTING YOU AND YOUR FELLOW BANDIT SCUM LENIENCY!"
Jaune twitches, as an Aura-Amplified female voice rocks through the tent, literally making the ground shake with the thunderous volume. His eyes narrow, even as Raven, Vernal, and even Summer all flinch. But then in Summer's defense, without eyesight, her hearing has improved over the years, backing up her Aura-Sensing abilities. It would be worse for her than anyone else.
Pyrrha, meanwhile, just hangs her head sheepishly and apologetically.
Gazing in the direction the voice came from, Jaune's lips thin out. Why did he get the feeling that none of this was going to be as simple as it fucking should be?
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Despite that thought, they soon find themselves meeting with the General and her forces on the edge of the bandit camp. The rest of the Branwen Tribe do not support them… in fact, the bandits are all cowering away in their tents, unable to even try to escape because of the encirclement they've found themselves caught in the middle of. Surrounded and thoroughly outgunned, they'd rather hide under rocks then fight for their freedom, or even try and surrender honorably.
Jaune doesn't care though, they were never meant to be his long-term responsibility, and he'd be glad to wash his hands of them. Regardless, he's once again done up in full-body coverings. His hands are wrapped, and every inch of his skin is covered as he wears one of Raven's Grimm masks over his face. Raven herself, along with Vernal and Summer, walk behind him, while Pyrrha walks at his side.
At first glance, the resemblance between Pyrrha and General Boudicca IS uncanny. Though, rather than her mother, Jaune would have thought the General to be Pyrrha's older sister. But, he supposed that was the wonder of Aura. Or maybe it was the 'wonder' of an aristocracy that married its daughters far too young to noblemen in order to force them to bear the next generation of nobility. It would not surprise Jaune if Boudicca had had Pyrrha quite young indeed, based on the overall youthfulness of the woman's face.
That's really the only thing that's youthful about her though, to be honest. Not only is she taller than Pyrrha, who is already one of the tallest women Jaune has met, but she's also very much filled out in every way that counts for a woman. Her bust is quite sizable, her hips quite wide, and she wears her white, gold, and red uniform quite well as she stands there wielding a small circular shield in one hand and a long sword in the other.
Jaune almost calls out, but before he does so, an irritant makes itself known.
"That must be him, General. He's wearing a mask… but that's the spy who tricked Lieutenant Nikos and used us to take over the bandit tribe!"
Private Lorelei's exclamation causes the General's blue eyes to flash as they narrow in anger at him, her grip on her weaponry tightening and a feeling of pressure washing over the area. Jaune can't help raising his eyebrows behind his mask. She is… stronger than Raven, though without the Maiden Powers that the Bandit Tribe leader has, he's fairly certain. That killing intent of hers… it's not JUST killing intent, or she would be flattening her own troops at the same time that she was trying to flatten them.
No, rather, it's something else. Perhaps it's her semblance. Even as Jaune feels an inordinate amount of pressure to surrender weighing down on his shoulders, the General's troops all stand taller and prouder. While behind him Vernal's knees hit the ground and even Summer and Raven both buckle a little bit, Pyrrha inhales sharply, and seems to square her shoulders, growing in strength.
Yes, it's definitely some sort of semblance based on Boudicca's view of who is friend and who is foe.
Still, Jaune himself does not falter. He's had plenty of opportunities to surrender in the past few days. He doesn't feel like doing so any more. General Boudicca will just have to accept that and let him pass.
Not that that seems likely, as she lifts her sword and points it at him.
"Jaune Arc. Your identity is known to me. You may as well cease hiding behind that mask."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Jaune cocks his head to the side and does briefly consider removing the mask, just to completely freak out the General and her onlooking forces. But in the end…
"No."
Boudicca bristles, and so do her soldiers. But before she can speak again, Pyrrha steps forward, in between the two of them.
"Mother! Please… Jaune is not the enemy! He saved me from the bandits and nursed me back to health! Look at me. I'm sure my soldiers told you how I was hurt… but I'm fine now, thanks to HIS insistence I receive immediate care!"
That causes the General to falter momentarily. A note of uncertainty flickers through the eyes of the so-called 'Queen of Victory'. But just as swiftly as it appears, it disappears behind a firm, steely-eyed look.
"Daughter, step aside. Your soldiers have indeed told me all that transpired since your arrival in Shion, and what they saw of this man. He must answer for his duplicity, though I promise to take his care of your injuries into consideration."
Honestly, that was very reasonable, all things considered. Jaune wasn't blind to how this whole situation looked from the General's point of view. He truly wasn't. He could be irritated and annoyed with the slander coming out of Private Lorelei and the rest of Pyrrha's soldiers' mouths all he wanted, but he couldn't exactly fault her mother for her actions.
Still, he wasn't interested in 'answering for his duplicity'. Call him unreasonable, but he was just about done with Mistral altogether. Shaking his head, Jaune steps up and places a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, cutting her off right as she opens her mouth to reply.
"Counteroffer, General Boudicca. Stand aside, allow me and mine to leave. Take your daughter and the bandits hiding in the camp behind me and let that be the end of this."
Once again, those blue eyes narrow. At the same time, Pyrrha jolts under his hand, and he can feel the young Lieutenant's desire to protest. Tch, did she think he was going to take her with him? That was never the plan… right? Surely, he hadn't inadvertently given off the vibe that it was… right?
General Boudicca looks at him, and then to those behind him in silence for a long moment.
"I presume those three women are who you consider 'yours'?"
Jaune gives a single sharp nod, wondering if the General might actually do the smart thing and let him pass. But… no.
"Unfortunately, two of them are the very same bandits who attacked Shion. Their crimes are considerable, and they must face justice for their actions. So long as you insist on sheltering them, their crimes are yours as well."
"Mother!"
But the General cuts her sword through the air, shaking her head sharply.
"Stand aside, Pyrrha. This does not concern you any longer."
Jaune… agrees. Ignoring his and Pyrrha's probably ill-thought out coupling, it was likely time for him and the Lieutenant to part ways. It was surely time for him to depart from Mistral… right?
He wasn't going to surrender here. He knew that much already. And he also was fairly certain he could fight his way through the General and her soldiers without causing TOO much harm, while also protecting Summer, Raven, and Vernal at the same time.
… But there was a part of him that didn't want a fighting retreat. A grim voice in the back of his head that said he should not ever settle for being hunted by any human. Or perhaps it was more accurate to call it a 'Grimm' voice. Hmph. He was half-tempted to fight to dominate and conquer, rather than leave.
"Surrender, Jaune Arc. This is your last chance before the good will gained by my daughter's healing is fully exhausted."
As General Boudicca sets herself before him, her sword held out in front of him, the point directed at his chest, Jaune frowns.
Scratch that. He was SORELY tempted to listen to that voice now. Even if he knew it could only cause more problems in the long run.
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