The Queens of Remnant - Chapter 8 (Patreon)
Content
Yang leaned over the sink, clenched her teeth, and tried to breathe while fury burned through her legs. Every inch of her, from her toes to her hips to her elbows, screamed in agony. Every heartbeat amplified the pain, assuring her that relief would only arrive when her heart stopped sending super-heated blood through her veins.
She refused to let her heart stop beating even though her white-knuckled grasp on the countertop was the only thing keeping her from collapsing onto the marble floor, where she doubted she could get back up.
“It’s just...the Phage…” she told herself, struggling to regain control of her spark. “Mind...over matter…”
Easier said than done when she felt like she was standing in fire. The flames scorched her feet so fiercely that she was scared to look down lest she find charred flesh where skin had once been. It would burn her alive - it wanted to burn her alive - and she was powerless to stop it.
When another blaze swept through her veins, she groaned and leaned her forehead against the cold counter. With every heartbeat, a pulse of agony made her want to cry in pain and hurl at the same time. Wishing it away accomplished nothing, but she still wished. And wished, and wished, only for it to continue burning her from the inside out.
Waking up had been a bad idea. The misery started as soon as she opened her eyes and had only grown from there. Any thought of having a nice, normal breakfast with Ruby had flown out the window. Now, she wasn’t sure if she could make it to breakfast at all. She couldn’t even make it out of her room.
“Hey Yang?”
As soon as she heard Ruby’s voice, panic joined the fire in her veins. Against all odds, she convinced her legs to bear the pain long enough for her to hobble to the bathroom door and lock it.
“Yeah?” she called out, leaning her shoulder against the door for support while struggling to breathe. Unable to get back to the sink, she clenched her fists and stifled a groan.
“Where are you?”
“In...here...” she huffed. “Give me a minute...I’ll be right out…”
When Ruby didn’t respond, Yang focused on breathing through the living fire in her veins. The bathroom felt like the inside of a furnace. Sweat broke out along her brow as she tried to reign her spark back in, but the temperature kept rising.
A soft whimper escaped her lips and a tear slipped down her cheek as she sucked in deep, painfully hot breaths. Feeling a smolder in the palm of her hand, she looked down only to clench her fist around the ball of flame she hadn’t summoned.
It didn’t go out. Tiny licks of fire slipped through her fingers before engulfing her entire hand. A burning sensation crept into the back of her mind - distant at the moment but growing nearer as the fire spread to her wrist. From there, it seemed only a matter of seconds before she burst into flames. Just like that poor young man in the palace...incinerated into nothing but ash...
“Yang? Are you ok?”
Ruby’s voice cut through the paralysis, and she blinked several times before her gaze flashed around the extravagant bathroom. Ruby was right on the other side of the door, which was too close. She couldn’t let this happen with Ruby so close.
“Yeah,” she managed to get out, watching the flames slowly retreat from her wrist. “I’m - I’m fine.”
She wasn’t. She wasn’t fine, but she had to get this under control before Ruby became suspicious. She didn’t want Ruby to worry about her, but if this was the end…
Leaning her head back against the door, she squeezed her eyes shut and felt another tear roll down her cheek. It disappeared before reaching her chin, evaporated by the waves of heat rising from her skin.
If this was the end, she wanted to hug Ruby. She wanted to say goodbye. But she also needed Ruby to stay away, for her own safety.
“Yang…?”
Ruby was worried now. Yang needed to pull herself together. She needed to focus on something - anything other than the boiling blood pumping from her heart through her body. Like Ruby. Ruby was home from her trip. She must have stories to tell. Adventures. She loved talking about what she saw outside of Vale. The people she met. The lessons she learned. What they could do to make lives better - because she wanted to make life better for everyone she met.
She was home. She was right here. They had an entire day of joking and teasing ahead of them, and Yang didn’t want to miss that.
Focusing on those priceless moments, she took a shallow breath and let it out in a short, slightly less painful exhale. The next breath was a little deeper, with the same effect. The temperature of the room gradually cooled from furnace to sauna, and the flames slowly lessened from roaring agony to dull ache.
Her time wasn’t up, after all.
“One second,” she said before running a shaking hand through her hair. “Sorry, I’m just...a little slow today.”
Keeping one hand on the door, she managed to push away and hold herself upright. She still felt unsteady, and she stumbled as she crossed over to the sink. Using the counter for support, she turned on the faucet, dipped her hands into the blissfully cold water, and splashed it on her face.
The coolness was so refreshing that she wished she had time to take an ice-cold bath. Maybe she would find time for that later. At the moment, she dried off her hands and face before looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Besides the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her cheeks, she looked...alright. Hopefully, ‘alright’ enough that Ruby didn’t ask questions.
After one more deep breath, she opened the door and held one hand over her stomach.
“Think I ate something bad,” she explained with a weak smile, but Ruby’s expression filled with even more concern.
“You should sit down.”
“Not a bad idea…”
Ruby extended an arm to help, but Yang waved off the offer and hobbled over to the sofa on her own. There, she flopped onto the cushions and attempted another smile.
The smile did nothing to ease Ruby’s worry as she sat on the sofa opposite of Yang. The way her brow knit together suggested she was very, very concerned, but Yang didn’t want to be the cause of that concern. She was supposed to worry about Ruby, not the other way around - that was her responsibility as the older sister.
“Yang…” Ruby finally said, her silver eyes preemptively pleading for honesty. “Are you...alright?”
Thinking about the disease burning through her veins, Yang opened her mouth but said nothing. She loved Ruby more than anything, but how could she tell Ruby that she would be gone before long? That, sooner rather than later, Ruby would have to lead Vale on her own? In every future they had ever discussed, they were always together forever, standing by each other’s sides, supporting each other through whatever life threw their way. They never imagined this.
What would happen if Ruby knew? What if Yang admitted, right now, that she was marked for death?
It would change every interaction, and what she really wanted was for everything to stay the same. While her health failed, while her spark betrayed her, she wanted to hold onto the closeness and love they shared.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” This time, she put more effort into smiling. “It’s just…been a rough morning.”
It must have been her imagination that Ruby looked disappointed by the answer, but it was impossible to tell when Ruby looked down at her hands.
“Maybe we should stay here for a bit?”
“Just a bit,” Yang agreed before drawing in a deep breath. As the fire returned to her heart where it belonged, she could focus beyond the undying pain. “I’m already feeling better,” she added, much to Ruby’s relief.
“Good.”
For the next few minutes, the two of them sat in silence - Yang breathing away the flames while Ruby picked at invisible pieces of lint on her clothes. Ruby didn’t usually sit still or stay quiet for so long, but Yang gratefully accepted the time to recover. A residual burn had already set up residency in her calves, but that would probably last for the rest of the day based on how this morning went. Once her breathing returned to normal and her spark retreated, she summoned the energy to reach over and pat Ruby’s leg.
“How was your trip? See anything cool?”
“It was good! Kind of nice to be away from Vale for a bit, but the outer settlements are always so...slow.”
“And you can’t stand that,” Yang teased.
“It takes some getting used to,” Ruby admitted, smiling at the understatement. “But a change of pace is good every once in a while, right?”
“You got that right.”
Yang was always impressed by Ruby’s positive attitude about pretty much everything. She had no idea who taught Ruby to be so optimistic - their mom, probably - but her positivity kept even the worst situations from looking too bleak.
“Um, how are people doing...you know, with everything?”
Yang knew Ruby would understand without more clarification than that. The two of them often discussed how much the people of Vale had given up during the war, and it was front of mind whenever they visited the outer settlements. At least, it was front of Ruby’s mind whenever she visited since Yang wasn’t leaving the palace anytime soon.
“They seem ok,” Ruby answered with a tiny shrug. “Spirits are good, all things considered, but the rations are taking their toll.”
“So they don’t hate us? Or, more specifically, me?”
“Yang!” When Ruby laughed at the question, Yang immediately felt relieved. “They don’t hate you or me or anyone. Everyone I spoke to was supportive. They’re tired, but they understand defending ourselves from Atlas.”
That was as good of a report as Yang could hope for. The day the people turned against the war, or against them, was the day they had a big problem. Leaders had been deposed for less, but she and Ruby wouldn’t let it come to that. As much as they loved Vale, they were willing to give anything for this kingdom - even if that meant walking away from it.
“I just wish we could do more to help,” Ruby added. “Between the war and the Phage...no matter where you look, someone is suffering.”
The comment hit a little close to Yang’s current torment, so she cleared her throat and came up with a subject change.
“Wow, is it that late already?” she asked as her gaze landed on the clock. “You must be starving! We should get you some food.”
“What if I said I already ate?” When Ruby hopped to her feet and grinned, Yang slowly pushed herself up and raised her brow. “Because I knew you’d be slow! This’ll be second breakfast.”
“You’re joking, right? I woke up early for this!”
When Ruby dissolved into giggles, Yang shook her head and joined in with a few chuckles.
“Alright, you got me,” she added while following her sister into the hall. “You eating a second breakfast sounds too believable.”
“I might’ve done it before…”
Laughing at the admission, Yang patted Ruby’s shoulder and prepared to keep up with Ruby’s lightning-quick walk. Whether due to Ruby’s spark or her desire to eat as soon as possible, her pace typically suggested that the floor was made of lava - a feeling Yang could emphasize with.
This morning, however, Ruby set a leisurely pace to the dining room. Her feet hardly seemed to touch the floor before bouncing up as if propelled by a pocket of air, and light breezes rolled off of her as her jumpy spark begged to be released, yet she didn’t zip off like the wind. While surprising and a little odd, the slow steps gave Yang time to recoup her energy - time she willingly accepted.
“So what’s been going on while I’ve been gone?”
Maybe that was why Ruby was walking so slowly - she wanted updates on their way to breakfast.
“More of the same,” Yang answered, sighing as they reached the staircase leading to the foyer. “It feels like there are battles every day now, but Cecelia’s instigating most of them.”
“Just like you thought she would.”
“Cecelia and carnage go together very, very well.”
That aptitude for chaos had always mesmerized yet terrified Yang. For someone who could accomplish seemingly anything she set her mind to, Cecelia always chose death, destruction, or power. Something about the bloodshed drew her in and wouldn’t let go, making her their measure of last resort.
“Maybe that’s why the new queen wants to visit,” Ruby suggested as they made it to the main level.
“Could be.”
That was as good of a guess as any. Yang could only imagine how it might feel to become queen and then hear about a string of deadly losses in the war. The optics might be enough to bring her to the bartering table, but to personally travel to Vale…
“I still can’t believe she’s coming here,” Yang remarked as they entered the dining room. “She’s putting herself in a really dangerous situation.”
“Yeah, but...we aren’t going to hurt her, right?”
“Of course not!” Sensing Ruby’s concern, Yang emphatically shook her head. “I mean, unless she tries to hurt us or something. But think about it - she has to travel right past the Badlands, who probably like her as much as they like us. Then she has to come inside the city gates knowing they’ll be vastly outnumbered.”
“That would take a lot of courage.”
“Or arrogance.”
Humming at the response, Ruby looked like she might say something before being distracted by the plate of food set in front of her.
“Thank you!” she told the server, who smiled and bowed before returning to the kitchen.
“Looks great,” Yang added to her own server, who tipped his chin before following his coworker.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all morning.”
While Ruby wasted no time digging into breakfast, Yang smiled and picked at her meal.
Ruby loved food. Eating it, talking about it, watching it made...anything related to something remotely edible. In the palace, this translated to effusive praise for the kitchen staff, who responded by making her favorite meals whenever she was around. That made her happier, which made the staff happy - around and around they went.
Yang was just glad that everyone was in such great spirits. She would be even happier if the Phage hadn’t destroyed her appetite, but she was grateful to be spending time with Ruby again.
“Hey, where’s your shadow?” she asked when she realized they had walked more than ten steps without being followed. When Ruby looked left and pointed at the floor, Yang laughed and shook her head. “Not that shadow. The tall one who hardly says anything.”
“Oh. He’s doing something for me, but he’ll be back soon.”
Ruby shrugged and kept eating, undisturbed by James’ absence. Yang, meanwhile, set her fork down in favor of watching Ruby inhale half of the plate.
“You’re not going to eat?” Ruby asked when her gaze briefly left her food.
“Not really hungry. Probably because I’m never up this early.”
While Yang chuckled, Ruby frowned rather than join in.
“Are you sure you’re feeling alright? You’re a little warm...like you have a fever or something.”
“Maybe I caught whatever’s been going around,” Yang suggested.
“Then you should see the doctor!”
“Eh.” Worried that Ruby could actually feel the heat rolling off of her, Yang leaned back in her seat and waved the matter away. “He’ll just make me drink that nasty green stuff and tell me to rest.”
“Yeah, but what if it’s serious?”
It was serious, but Yang didn’t need a doctor to tell her that. If they could do anything to help, she would have gone to them already. But there was no treatment and no cure, so she wouldn’t bother.
That answer wouldn’t work on Ruby, whose silver eyes voiced concern hidden from her tone. As Yang opened her mouth to assure her sister that she would get a checkup eventually, a messenger rushed into the dining hall and spared her from answering at all.
“Your Majesties.” His bow was deep but quick, suggesting he was in a great hurry. “I have an update on the Resistance.”
“Oh -” Remembering some important news, Yang motioned for him to wait while she filled Ruby in. “Adam Taurus was killed by his second-in-command. She stepped into his place and took over the Resistance.”
Ruby’s eyes widened at the abridged explanation, and Yang nodded before turning back to their courier.
“And the Resistance disbanded?” she joked. “Peacefully dropped their arms and went home?”
“Unfortunately, no,” he replied, missing that her questions were in jest. “Our scouts have been doing their best to gather information. From what we can tell, they’re reorganizing, but their attacks on our troops have stopped. They respond aggressively when we get too close to the settlements, but otherwise, they seem happy to leave us alone.”
“That’s…”
Yang didn’t want to say ‘good’ since nothing seemed truly ‘good’ these days, but that news seemed...positive.
“Are we sure they’re not just regrouping?” she asked as soon as the thought occurred to her. “Maybe they’re planning something and trying to lure us into a false sense of security.”
“They could be, Your Majesty...”
“Why would they do that?” Ruby asked from across the table. “Even if everyone in every settlement joined them, they wouldn’t have enough fighters to defeat us or Atlas. So why try to attack? Why not focus on defending their homes? There’s no point fighting if you don’t have a home to go back to.”
As usual, Ruby’s explanation made a lot of sense. Attacking a larger army was a suicide mission, so why do it? But Adam Taurus seemed to have found plenty of reasons, making it hard to believe that his successor didn’t feel the same.
The successor who killed him...possibly over a difference in opinion...
“Make sure the troops don’t let their guard down,” Yang finally replied. “The Resistance is a threat until we have proof otherwise. Don’t attack them, but...now’s not the time to trust them.”
When Yang turned to Ruby for approval, Ruby’s nod was delayed. She wanted to believe the best in everyone, as always, but she also understood that enemies didn’t become friends overnight.
“If you learn anything more -” Ruby added before the man ran off. “About their intentions or their strategy, please let us know.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. We’ll figure out as much as possible.” He bowed to Ruby before turning to Yang. “And I’ll inform the generals of your instructions.”
With that said, he hurried out of the room, leaving the two of them to share a look.
“I know what you’re going to say...”
“What if they can help?” Ruby interrupted, and Yang immediately groaned.
“The Resistance wants nothing to do with us -”
“Wanted nothing to do with us,” Ruby corrected. “But they’re under new leadership, right?”
“An assassin stole power from a psychopath - not exactly an upgrade.”
“Why wouldn’t we talk to them? Maybe this new leader is more reasonable. Maybe they’ll help us.”
Even though Yang sighed and shook her head, she couldn’t dismiss Ruby’s optimism. That was a big part of what made Ruby...Ruby. And Yang struggled to argue when she knew that she could very well be wrong.
“Maybe,” she conceded. “But let’s get through this meeting with Atlas first, then we can try to negotiate with an assassin.”
Ruby agreed to the compromise with a smile. There was no time to discuss further, however, as their head of palace operations - a tall, blonde-haired windwalker with a peaceful presence and eccentric love for everything to do with Vale - practically floated into the dining room.
“Lola,” Yang called out as the woman approached. “What’re you doing here so early?”
“Looking for you, Your Majesty,” she replied before bowing to Ruby. “Queen Rose, it’s nice to have you back.”
“It’s nice to be back!”
Lola returned Ruby’s smile before clutching her hands behind her back.
“Please excuse the interruption, but if you have time I’d like to go over our preparations for Atlas’ arrival.”
“What kinds of preparations?”
“Oh, well, I thought you could follow me to the throne room so we can discuss specifics.”
After glancing at Ruby’s plate, which had been empty for quite some time, Yang met her sister’s gaze and shrugged. As fun as it sounded to sit here and chat the day away, their ever-present responsibilities refused to grant them that opportunity.
“It shouldn’t take long,” Lola assured them as they followed her out of the dining hall. Walking reminded Yang that her calves were extremely angry with her, but she turned her grimace into a smile when Ruby glanced over.
“What do you think, Ruby - should we get some ice sculptures or something? The Queen of Atlas should like that.”
“They would melt,” Ruby pointed out. “And do you really want to decorate for her?”
“You’re right - why would we decorate for her? Why don’t we make it hot in here instead? I bet she melts.”
“Now you’re trying to make her uncomfortable?”
When Lola glanced back at them, Yang shrugged.
“Can’t hurt, right?”
“What if she’s nice?”
“Then we’ll apologize!”
When Ruby rolled her eyes, Yang laughed and followed Lola into the throne room.
“Ok, ice sculptures and excessive heat are out, but you probably have better ideas.”
“I have some.” Lola tried to contain her excitement, but it slipped out when she strode to the middle of the room and spun around with a flourish. “How about - a celebration of Vale.”
When she made a grand, sweeping gesture with her hands, accompanied by a breezy whirlwind of air, Yang’s brow rose.
“Nothing excessive,” she quickly explained. “But garlands and banners in our royal colors. The garlands will drape the walls -” She pointed at the corners, where the walls met the ceiling. “And the banners will stand at every other column. I’d like to do something similar in the plaza, to keep the theme consistent.”
The throne room was already fancy in Yang’s opinion, but she and Ruby left Lola in charge of these matters for a reason: neither of them cared much for pomp and circumstance.
“I like it.”
“Yeah, sounds festive!” Ruby agreed, much to Lola’s delight.
“Excellent! I also thought we could bring in bushels of flowers - they’re blooming everywhere right now so shouldn’t be hard to find. I can arrange them around the palace so everything looks very...regal. With your permission, of course.”
“Lola...” Ruby began while Yang chuckled. “You’re our expert - when have we ever told you no?” As soon as Lola opened her mouth, Ruby quickly added, “Besides that once with the gold horse?”
Satisfied with that blanket permission, Lola beamed.
“I’ll get started at once. Thank you, Your Majesties.”
After a deep, unnecessary bow, Lola practically skipped out of the room to start her new project.
“She’s never going to let that go, is she?” Yang asked, shaking her head while Ruby giggled. “That’s literally the only time we’ve turned down one of her ideas.”
“But she really, really wanted you to ride in on a gold horse!”
Ruby could hardly say the words without giggling more, and Yang couldn’t help but join in. That had been a particularly amusing time in their lives, especially as Lola’s ideas grew grander and grander. They drew the line at a golden horse, and apparently Lola would never let them forget it.
The memory lifted Yang’s spirits, but her smile faltered when a short burst of heat traveled from her heart to her calves. Standing was doing her no favors at the moment, but she forced her smile back into place and motioned Ruby after her.
“Come on, let’s get you caught up on things,” she said while leading them to the office. “Want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
“Aren’t we always on the same page?”
“You’re right. Let me just show you some cool charts and numbers then.”
Yang winked at the Elite guarding the royal office, and he smiled while she and Ruby walked into what was practically their second bedroom.
They never shared a room growing up, but Yang always wished that they had. She could imagine them staying up all night talking about what they would do ‘when they were in charge,’ arguing about who was messiest, or having impromptu pillow fights. They still did those things, of course - their parents probably knew exactly how well-traveled the tunnels between their rooms were - but to share a space every day? That would have been really cool.
“At least Lola’s excited about this meeting,” Yang commented while collapsing into her seat behind the desk. Getting off her feet didn’t provide relief for her calves, but at least now she didn’t have to waste energy by standing.
“You’re not excited?”
“Not really. Are you?”
“I don’t know if I’d call it ‘excited,’” Ruby mused, dropping into her chair near the corner of the desk. “More like...nervous. There’s a lot riding on this.”
Ruby didn’t have to go into detail, and Yang tried not to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of their upcoming introduction. But it was huge. People always said that first impressions were important, and this one held implications spanning two kingdoms.
“We’ll know more soon.”
Ruby returned Yang’s nod, both of them determined to make the best of their unexpected opportunity, before a knock drew their attention to the door. Spotting one of their advisors just outside, Yang sighed and shook her head at Ruby.
“Have we always been this popular?”
“You have,” Ruby teased, poking Yang’s side as the man entered the room.
“Your Majesties.” He stopped in front of the desk and bowed, then wrung his hands. “I have an update...from the Badlands.”
His aura and expression hinted at bad news. After glancing at Ruby, whose expression had grown serious and concerned, Yang nodded for him to deliver his report.
“There was a skirmish not long ago - a group of Knights attempted to capture one of our caches hidden in the settlements. They were rebuffed, but...the supplies were destroyed in the process.”
That was only the beginning of what he had to say; Yang already felt it. Hidden beneath his attempt at softening the blow was a story of death and devastation.
“How many?” she asked, watching his gaze drop to the floor.
“Forty-five, Your Majesty.”
The wind left her lungs in one swoop, and she found just as much distress in Ruby’s eyes. Losing Elites was never easy. Losing that many at once was heartbreaking. Unfortunately, that was the cost of this war, which refused to end or show pity on their dwindling resources and resolve. After sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head and moved past the dismay.
“And what was destroyed?”
“Rations for several squadrons, plus medical supplies and other comforts.”
Rations and supplies were a heavy but not insurmountable loss. The lives lost trying to keep those resources from falling into enemy hands stung the most.
“What happened to the settlement?” Ruby asked, her tone quiet and eyes intent. When Yang turned back to the man, she realized that Ruby had pinpointed what he hadn’t wanted to tell them.
“What happened to the settlement?” Yang echoed, her worry growing as he shuffled his feet.
“The fighting was ferocious and moved quickly...there was confusion when the Knights flanked through the inhabited areas, and...several fires were started as protection during the retreat. It was the only way to keep the Knights from pursuing.”
Yang sat back in her chair and had no idea how to respond. The cruelties of war weren’t lost on her - it had only taken a month to understand the incredible losses Vale would suffer - but this was a new low.
“The whole village?” Ruby whispered, but they didn’t need any answer - they could read it in the man’s posture and downturned gaze.
“I know you asked us to minimize damage to the Badlands,” he replied. “I failed to do that and...I’m sorry.”
Whether his apology was meant for the people whose homes had been lost or for not following a direct order, Yang didn’t know. All she knew was that her heart felt heavy and her mind numb.
“Thank you for the update,” she said even though she didn’t feel at all grateful for the news. Still, she nodded in respect as he bowed and hurried out of the room. The door fell shut behind him, and silence descended over them. Yang didn’t have to look at Ruby to know how she felt about this recent news, which landed somewhere between awful and devastating. And what had they gained? Atlas hadn’t stolen some supplies...but at what cost?
With a heavy sigh, Yang leaned back and rubbed her forearm. The report had prodded her spark back to life, and the heat in her heart began to build.
“Well, now the Badlands hates us even more…” she mumbled, ignoring the Phage and looking at Ruby.
“I’m sure they did their best.” Ruby finally turned away from the door and attempted a weak smile. “But when things move so fast…”
Ruby trailed off, but Yang knew what she meant. In hindsight, they could question the motives and ability of their forces, but they weren’t the ones making split-second life-or-death decisions. They weren’t the ones facing an army of Atlesian Knights raining ice and fury from the heavens. Still…
Putting her head in her hands, Yang sighed and wished everything away. The war. The Phage. All of it. She didn’t want to deal with it anymore. She wanted to go back to the time when listening to neighbors argue over property lines was the highlight of her day. Everything was easier then. She and Ruby spent so much time together, making small, simple decisions that didn’t lead to death and despair.
“I’m sorry...” Ruby said, setting a hand on Yang’s shoulder.
“It’s not your fault,” Yang muttered into her palms before looking up and shaking her head at Ruby’s sorrowful expression. “It’s not. We asked them to stay away from the Badlands, but apparently it’s not that easy.”
Nothing about this was easy, but Ruby knew that. They had learned so much over the course of the war - lessons Yang would have been fine never knowing - but now...they were both ready for the lessons to end.
“Maybe we should try pushing through again?” Ruby suggested. “Get to the other side and defend?”
“I don’t know if we can…”
The first attempt ended in disaster. Atlas didn’t want them on the ‘Atlesian’ side of the Badlands. Vale didn’t want to keep traipsing through the settlements to fight, but they failed to hold the line. Atlas pushed them back and...they never tried again.
Biting her lip, Ruby thought about something long and hard before opening her mouth. When no words came out, she shook her head.
“What is it?” Yang asked, knowing an aborted idea when she saw one.
“I was just thinking…” Considering her words, Ruby finally met Yang’s gaze. “I could go -”
“No,” Yang interrupted, shaking her head at the mere thought.
“Yang, I could go,” Ruby repeated more urgently. “You know I could help -”
“They’ll come after you as soon as they know you’re out there.”
“But James will be with me…”
“And what if they have their own James?”
Yang’s resistance to the idea hadn’t abated over time. If anything, she felt more strongly about it as time dragged on.
“We don’t know what they’re capable of. If you go out there, you’ll have every Atlesian capable of fighting coming after you.”
“But I know I can help. I’m strong enough. I could -”
“No, Ruby.”
They’d had this discussion dozens of times before, and each time Yang answered the same. She knew how much Ruby wanted to end this quickly, but it wasn’t that simple. They were powerful but not invincible. And with Yang staring down a rapidly approaching end...Vale couldn’t afford to lose two queens at the same time.
“We can’t risk it…” she added in a softer tone, hoping to ease the distress from Ruby’s expression. “You know how important you are...to Vale and to me. We can’t lose you.”
Knowing how badly Ruby wanted to help didn’t make this any easier. Her compassion for others, regardless of who they were or where they came from, had no bounds. People dying...people suffering...everything about a war went against who she was. Yang knew that. That was why she tried to shelter Ruby from it as much as possible, but she could only hide so much from Ruby at once.
Maybe there was another solution...one that kept Ruby safe and ended the war sooner rather than later.
“How about…” Yang began slowly, thinking through the suggestion before making it a reality. “We see how things go with the Ice Queen first. If she’s like her dad, then...I’ll go.”
The effort would kill her, but she could level half of Atlas’ army in the process. With that many soldiers out of the way, what remained of Vale’s troops could clean up the rest. The war would end, and Ruby would be safe.
“You think I’ll let you go out there without me?” Ruby scoffed and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Either I go, we go, or no one goes. That’s final.”
When Ruby set her jaw and nodded, Yang knew there was no point in arguing. Instead, she sighed and rubbed her forearm.
“Ok,” she quietly agreed. “Then...let’s hope the apple fell far from the tree, yeah?”
If the Mad King’s daughter was even remotely reasonable, maybe they could negotiate a truce. Maybe they could end the war without further bloodshed. If she was like her father…
“You never know,” Ruby replied with a weak smile. “Crazier things have happened.”
“You’re right about that.”
Yang attempted a smile of her own but quickly turned away when a flare of pain made it a grimace instead.
“You ok?”
Ruby touched Yang’s shoulder only to jerk her hand back as if she’d been burned. Yang worried that was exactly what happened as fire flared in her chest, but Ruby didn’t say anything or shake her hand as if it hurt. Instead, she returned to her seat, pulled her legs up on the chair, and hugged her knees to her chest.
Sitting like that brought out the childlike, youthful energy she hadn’t lost with time. She was a gracious, composed, incredible queen. At the same time...she was still the little girl Yang used to carry around on her shoulders.
“If the war ends…” Ruby began in a soft voice. “The first thing we need to do is find a cure.”
“A cure?”
“For the Phage.” After meeting Yang’s gaze for a second, Ruby stared at her lap. “Right away. As fast as we possibly can.”
“But -”
“It’s important, Yang.” Ruby finally looked up, her expression determined yet sad. “We have to do this. We should’ve been looking all along, but...hopefully, there’s still time.”
“Yes, but...why are you so concerned about this all of a sudden?”
Yang’s breath caught in her throat when Ruby looked at her - looked right through her - in that intent way she’d always had.
“It’s always been important,” she answered, her voice hardly above a whisper. “But I knew we couldn't do that and fight the war. If the war ends though…”
“Of course we’ll do it,” Yang answered before a tiny voice in the back of her head said that it wasn’t her decision to make. “I mean, if that’s what you want,” she added.
“It is.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
Ruby’s smile was fleeting, and sadness crept into Yang’s heart when she realized that she wouldn’t be around to help on that journey. She would be lucky to see the end of the war...no way she saw a cure. But, while bittersweet, she knew that Ruby would find a cure someday. Ruby was too compassionate and driven to rest until the disease was wiped from Vale.
In the time she had left, Yang would do everything in her power to set her sister up for success. Ruby had a bright future ahead. As much as Yang wished she could be around to see it…with each passing day, she accepted that she wouldn't.
“Hey,” she said, throwing on another smile for Ruby’s sake. “While you’re here, why don’t I show you how to answer these requisitions?”
“But...you always do those.”
“Yeah, but nothing wrong with teaching you, right? That way if I’m ever feeling extra lazy or something, you can help out.”
The lie was only partially successful, as Ruby gave Yang a long, somber look before moving her chair closer.
“Don’t plan on getting lazy anytime soon…” she muttered and, somehow, Yang managed a laugh. Then she patted Ruby’s shoulder and leaned forward to teach Ruby one of ‘her’ tasks. It wouldn’t be hers much longer, as her burning heart reminded her.
Hopefully, she had enough time left to make the transition easier. Because pretty soon…Ruby would have to do all of this on her own.