Ultimate Lap (3)

"We make war that we may live in peace." – Aristotle

Of all things I have done or experienced, this very one was already giving me the shakes… even though I had yet to enter that room.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the fact I was mostly alone in that hospital hallway and tried to think of other things to try and calm down. When Sienna told me that Nora had gone 'missing' for a while, and that she wasn't answering our calls, I managed to calm her worries, temporarily at least, by telling her that I had a clue where she might have gone and that I would have personally taken her back to the hotel room. The situation wasn't unusual as I knew where she could have gone through our latest conversation… but I really hoped that it was indeed the case. Nonetheless, this was going to be quite awkward compared to anything else before this. I felt so… uneasy. So unprepared.

How come I feel so insecure about speaking to… her?

I wanted to justify it due to recent events but… I could tell this was reaching before that. Maybe it was personal guilt about past decisions but I actually didn't expect to find out that there was a chance to get back home. And that I could be put through that kind of choice. I had tried for so long to accept the idea I was going to remain regardless of that, hoping for this kind of confrontation. And if I was behaving like this with Mary, I dreaded the circumstance where I would find my parents- our parents if we found a way to them. I held my breath and… I wasn't alone in that kind of debacle. And I wasn't sure if that was for good or not.

I can't handle this kind of stress.

You just need to try to find some composure.

[It's not as… simple as you make it, Ozma.]

And I understand that. But while it's difficult, he has to try his best to not give off the wrong impressions to not worry both individuals inside.

Are we even sure Nora is inside?

You can hear them laughing inside.

I could, even with the door closed and the noise muffled. I was a bit relieved that Nora was there as I expected her to be but… I was really reluctant to even knock at the door. Sighing, I knew that I would have to do something about it.

[John, I… you know that I wouldn't put you through anything too intense. I've never gone too deep into pushing you into anything.]

But you want me to man up and go with this?

[Yes. Because if you don't, you will give a bad impression of what you are. An older brother that doesn't help his younger sibling? I think you know how tremendously stupid that sounds.]

...I suppose that's a point I can't ignore.

And so I finally reached out and knocked twice.

There was some shuffling inside, and I waited for a response before either speaking up or opening the door.

"Y-Yes?"

"House-keeping," I replied with a dry and yet mirthful tone. It felt so painful to get the old attitude done right.

"...We're not in a hotel?"

"And I'm not a house-keeper. So, something either went incredibly right or terribly wrong."

…

"That was lame."

[See? It's not bad.]

"I'm not the lame-head when it comes to humor, numbnut. Can I come in?"

…

"Yes."

I slowly opened the door, noticing quite the interesting scene inside. Mary was fully awake but… quite tense. I would say it was mostly tied to my presence there, yet I also spotted a 'bizarre shape' under the sheets right beside her legs.

"I don't recall signing into playing a hide n' seek game," I hummed quietly, doing my best to not flinch too much at her bandages. "Nora-"

"We thought it was a nurse," The girl interrupted meekly, slowly slipping out of the bed. "And Aunt Mary told me to hide there."

"Really?" I asked, looking back at the hospitalized young woman.

"Really," Mary replied in a semi-confrontational manner, jokingly as she went all in by crossing her arms by her chest and huffing. "I would like to keep this fun listener for more than those pesky jerks want. John, I think they are out to make me go nuts with no people to talk to."

She looked way more at ease than I imagined. Sure, I knew Sienna had spoken to her but… I didn't know that she had opened up this much. I counted on this blessing and calmly approached the bed. Her smile faltered slightly, perhaps realizing about half the emotions rushing in and out of my expressions.

"Hello Mary."

…

Her smile was back at full force. "Hello big bro."

"I see that you are… recovering well," I commented weakly, gaining a sigh out of her.

"Yeah, not as fast as I would like but… it's a start," The young woman admitted. "And I listened to your speech. Who would have thought you would end up in that situation."

"Mom?" I argued and she snorted, shaking her head in amusement.

"Mom definitely would," Mary agreed, giving me a calm look. "So… you're going to be quite busy in the next few days. That's what I got."

"A month, maybe two," I corrected while nodding. "I will still have some breaks but… this is war."

"And not with a simple foe at that. Salem will… she will have an army. It will not be a simple battle and things will be over."

I nodded. "I know."

"And… I'm… I don't want to be stupid about this, I'm far from fine, but I'm not that bad too."

"Just in the middle?" I inquired, cracking a brief smile as she agreed to that assessment with a smile.

"Sounds about right," Mary answered, her own smile feeling a bit forced. "Still, it can happen. Things can change for good."

"And then there will be… no Queen."

"...Dad?"

I blinked, glancing at Nora and realizing she didn't look as relieved as we were.

"What's wrong, hun? Something on your mind?"

She nodded slowly. "I don't… I don't think you explained to me, or others, what happens once… the queen is defeated."

I gave a long look at the orangette, already perceiving her worry through that question and the ensuing glance she was giving me. Will the Grimm be dealt with once Salem is dead? The answer, considering how these monsters existed even before the Queen, was obviously no.

"Once the Queen is dead, the Grimm will no longer have someone to control them and will not be created as aggressively as before. They will still be an ever-present threat, but much less than how they are now."

The girl nodded, but she didn't seem relieved by this knowledge and… I could tell that it wasn't tied to the whole Grimm situation. Not when Mary herself looked quite confused by that bizarre behavior. Soon it was time for us to leave, with Mary preparing for dinner as she was going to 'endure through the torture of chicken soup'. A bit of an exaggeration on her part, and she showed this with her tone and by winking as we were leaving. Once the door was closed behind us and we were making our way out of the hospital, I felt Nora calmly walk up to me and grasping at my hand as we moved to leave.

"Dad, can I ask you… a few questions?"

I hummed. "About what?"

"The… the incoming war."

I spared her a look and nodded. "Sure."

"Do you think I will be enlisted?" The girl asked nervously. "Or Winter, Weiss, Yang, Blake-"

"You're not old enough for this kind of war, hun," I interrupted calmly, squeezing softly at her palm. "It's going to be tough, but we're not going to get anyone younger than eighteen to join this war."

There was a bizarre silence that ensued. Her tension wasn't just lessening despite the legitimate reassurances I was providing her. Despite the many questions I answered in a satisfactory way, I could also pick up that she was not being honest around the real topic behind this kind of interrogation.

[She is not convinced. She is hiding something-]

Big, and particularly worrying.

I finally stopped, the area around us devoid of cameras or anyone wandering around.

"Dear, I can tell that something is upsetting you. What's wrong?"

Nora looked surprised at the direct question, and her gaze turned up to look at mine as she seemed to be thinking whenever she was meant to be telling me the truth or not.

"I… there is actually something I have to tell you, Dad. It happened while I was talking with Auntie Mary and… then I felt this strong and… and it was like… what happened to Cinder."

...What?

That's not… possible.

And yet, before my own eyes, I stared at Nora's hands as she pulled away from my grasp and cupped her palms upward, somehow forming what looked to be a… white snowflake. A white hue emerged from her eyes like soft flames and… this is bad.

That means-

[The Winter Maiden has died today.]

And for some reason Nora is the Winter Maiden.

"Nora-"

"D-Dad, does this mean that I have to-" She was breaking up at that possibility, tears forming by the edges of her eyes and… I knew why. Despite Nora being willing to prove her worth, she wasn't someone that craved for suicidal situations. Boisterous and fiery, yes, but never too extreme and radical about both.

"No. You are not meant to do anything you don't want to do. You will not be enlisted, conscripted or whatever synonym exists of that word," I interrupted sternly. "You will not be forced into anything, sweetie."

"But… what if it helps?" She argued. "What if I can save others if I just… you know, put that fear aside and- and give it a try?"

Nora's confidence was temporary as she stiffened the moment she saw me crouch to see right into her eyes.

"I'm willing to let you fight and be a great warrior, but right now, I, as your father, can't send you to war. Not in these conditions, not like this- and no, you are not going to save others with that power. Salem will focus on people with that kind of power, and will throw the most at you and the… other maidens."

The girl nodded numbly. "I'm sorry for… being too-"

"What? Unsure on what to do about this whole mess? You're not at fault here, hun. I know you so well and I can tell that you really want to help others with this opportunity," I interjected softly, bringing her close for a hug. "You will train and be prepared but… I will not allow anyone to push you into anything dangerous. And that's a promise."

…

She hugged back, nuzzling her cheek onto mine as we both still in that quiet moment.

"Thanks dad."

And now I will have to find out about what happened to the Winter Maiden and why didn't Ironwood tell me about this situation at once? An urgent call, a message, anything. I thought he was just too burdened to make up some time for that, but the whole day went without anything to enlighten me on the overall situation.

In fact, it would take a while before I had a proper answer out of the General, and at that point, I was really suspicious of the reason why he had ghosted me like that...

Two days later, Mary was finally given the chance to leave the hospital and join us back in Menagerie.

There were a couple of lengthy documents to sign to confirm the discharge, but the young woman was able to properly walk with a minor limp and no pain on her legs. The nerves had been damaged, but none had effectively disrupted her capacity to live a normal life. Doing sports or anything beyond that was discouraged due to the damage, but Mary was now considered as a properly healed patient and could make the trip without any physical problem tied to it.

Before we left, I had one last conversation with Ironwood. Finally, I tried to approach him as soon as I brought Nora back in the hotel, but I was surprised to learn he had been 'swarmed' by diplomats and local councilmen alike trying to get as much info known about the current threat we were meant to face and what was advised to do to create a committee to redefine all external borders that gave to the Grimmlands. I couldn't exactly blame it on him, but the necessity to speak with him didn't lessen, especially when I was approached by older Ruby twice. The young woman was fine, she had recovered properly… but she had been subjected to some scrutiny due to the usage of her silver eyes and her 'resemblance with a certain Rose'.

Summer learned the truth and… she was upset enough to tell the rest of her team to not tell me how that confrontation went. I only knew it ended with hugs, tears, and promises to try and fit into the family better. But I had reason to believe that Summer wasn't going to be happy to have me around in most circumstances for a while, with the only saving grace being that older Ruby was putting an effort to try and mend that situation. Summer was one that knew how to hold a grudge towards friends compared to Ruby, but she was quick to bow down to some of her more extreme habits if anyone else found them to be too harsh on me.

Still, the main focus for today before I left to get back to Menagerie was to have this conversation with a certain General and get some answers about the recent events.

"Atlas recovered, same for Mantle. Vacuo has stabilized and… Mistral is actually willing to put a serious effort against the Grimm," James explained quietly. "It's going to be a proper end game. This isn't… exactly what Atlas prepared for, but we have the means to do it."

"You still seem happy through this kind of hard labor," I argued, noticing the lines of stress and… the fact he barely shaved, with a light layer of facial hair covering his lower face. "You should get some rest."

"The pieces are all falling in the right place, John. I can hardly find a moment to stop. Not right now where we can stop this menace for good."

I nodded in agreement, looking at Ironwood with a tense look. "It's going to be a big war."

"The biggest yet," The General confirmed quietly, staring at the holographic Remnant map expanded on his desk. "We have been preparing for so long for a continuation of the Great War… but this is much worse than it. It's going to be an intense fight against an enemy that we barely know."

"Salem and her capacity to produce an army that goes beyond what is known of the normal species of Grimm," I elaborated, drawing a nod from the man. "But, I believe we can do it."

"I suppose you're ready to do your part too. Your role in killing Salem-"

"Is essential. I don't plan to make a fuss about it," I confessed, gaining a sigh of relief from the tired military officer. "Alas, I would like to discuss something I learned in recent times… and that I believe you should tell me now that we're having this conversation."

James frowned at my cryptic tone but… nodded. "The Winter Maiden is no more. She passed away of natural causes."

I felt a bit relieved at that honesty. So, he wasn't holding back that kind of information.

"For a moment, I thought you were purposely keeping that from me. Still, why did you not send me any message about it?"

And, for some odd reasons, Ironwood rewarded me with awkward silence.

[That's the face of a guilty man.]

Ozma?

[Ozma.]

That's not true… always.

"James, what's that face?"

"I… Technically, I decided against informing you on the spot as I focused on finding the new Maiden. I worried that Ozpin could have tried one last power move before leaving and… I couldn't find her," He admitted, looking down at his desk. "But… How do you know about this event? I'm quite sure you had no means to learn of this."

He looked up, now realizing that I shouldn't have known without… some 'help'.

"Nora will be spending some time home training due to a new mutation of her Semblance. And before you ask-"

"She will not be forced into combat," James interjected quickly, already aware of my thought in that matter. "As far as we have learned from Vytal, you're the only one we are completely sure that can beat Salem."

I nodded. "Thanks-"

"But I suppose Cinder will take part in this."

"I… Yes. She showed interest in taking part in this kind of operation and I know she is fully ready for this."

"Glad to hear this much good news. But, there is also something I wanted to discuss with you. It's regarding your sister, or rather, the ramification her presence here brings to my attention."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What are the chances of Salem recruiting a large following through the same way Mary was brought here?"

"Low, terribly low," I confessed without hesitation as I had long thought about it. Salem could potentially get two-three more followers, but something beyond a few dozens would easily gain national attention and spark a retaliation. One that I could tell the Queen of Grimm was prepared to defend against as things weren't exactly that calm back home...

"Why?"

I sighed heavily, closing my eyes and… deciding to be quite blunt but simplistic about it.

"We have bombs that level cities. If things go nuts, we will use extreme force to handle anything that we perceive as too dangerous to handle with armies," I answered quickly, giving him a serious face. "Hence why I suggest, with the best hope for a long-lasting peace, that no nation should pursue any contact with my 'land'."

…

"It's not a threat," Ironwood muttered, realizing the situation wasn't as simple as it appeared. "You mean it. It would be that destructive."

"Yes."

…

"I will write a memo. We will refrain from… trying anything too foolish without your judgment on the matter."

I nodded, "Thank you James."

And with that the conversation was over and I started to make my way towards the airships' land zones so I could get back to the rest of the family. The next few weeks were going to be tense but relatively peaceful… and then, there would be war.

And it was going to be brutal, humanity against the Grimm…