No wind.
No sound.
No one.
Only her own thoughts remained.
Schlag was falling but it didn't seem like it to her.
Was this death? Didn't really feel like it. She still had her body, could move around and her thoughts were clear.
Where the hell am I falling? She wondered, as it didn't occur to her that a fall wouldn't end in a landing despite the recent event challenging her grasp on reality.
Just at the moment where it started to get a little boring to fall through the void, she felt drained of her energy, and fell unconscious.
In a far, far away castle, an expecting prince inspects his guard, prepared to behead any who would do him the offense of not being perfectly dressed the day of his birthday.
Oh how he was anticipating this day. His day. He would get gifts, reverences, win at his favorite game and what's best: Everyone had to do as he wished!
The small prince stopped in his tracks, wondering what difference his birthday would make since he was the prince, and everyone had to do as he wished everyday anyways.
As he stopped before one of guards, the others interpreted it as a sign that the poor soul had displeased the prince and before his royal highness could react, he was taken away behind a bush and promptly beheaded with the halberd of another guard.
Well he'll be back eventually anyways Though the prince as he continued his march down his beautiful royal garden, full of lushing roses and autumn-colored trees.
Just finishing his inspection, he turned around and looked at his magnificent royal guard, which he was sure no army could challenge (Not that there was any other military force on this land anyway), and no riches could corrupt.
However one thing took his fleeting attention off his troops. A light in the sky. How weird. There was usually only one sun. In his kingdom at least.
Perhaps the sky itself sent me a birthday greeting! His princely self imagined. After all, else could it be?
Red Prince: See guards? The sky understands how to behave on the day of my birthday! You should take an example from him and get me wonderful gifts. Although he missed the spot by making this light yellow and not red...
Guards: Yes, your highness!
I guess yellow is close enough to red at least... It could have been far worse. Like green. But everyone knows I hate green, so– The Prince was taken out of his thoughts when he noticed the light seemed bigger now.
Well the sky is officially pardoned for the color, since it's even bigger now He rationalized.
But grew bigger again.
The guards were now also fixated on it, which would have greatly angered the Prince if he himself was not also curious as to why his birthday greetings seemed to slowly change to a birthday gift, falling from the sky. Directly on him.
Suddenly the bright light hit the ground at a staggering speed, throwing everyone off balance and sending the Prince flying. Dust was thrown up and it took a few seconds for everyone to process what had just happened.
Schlag rose on her feet, still unsettled and feeling like she had been hit by a truck. But at least she was on the ground now. She shook some dust off of her and looked around. She was first startled by the redness of the whole place.
Was this the afterlife in the end? No way... y/n wouldn't have tried to let himself fall if he'd risk dying. Somehow, he thought it best to follow that damned Ruby brat again... She thought, getting angered right after she had landed. However before any more names could come out of her mouth, she noticed the result of her arrival.
She was in the middle of what could be thought to be a small meteor crater and apparently toppled some wooden statues by crashing. She felt bad for whoever was tending to the garden since it was obviously well maintained.
The Red Prince slowly came back to and rose his head, searching for what had caused such chaos in such a short time. What he found before his eyes shocked him.
Some kind of... thing... was standing in his royal garden, blew him and his royal guard away and what's more, did not look like his subjects at all. The invader's skin looked smooth, its joints nonexistent and had some straw-looking yellow strings on her head.
The Prince was the first one to move and get on his feet, ready to demand an explanation from this weird trespasser.
Schlag looked at the blazing red castle and wondered who could have such bad taste and why had she never heard of the enormous and unappealing structure in the past, when a voice made her turn around.
Red Prince: You! Who are you to dare come crashing down in my castle, the day of my birthday no less!
...
Did that wooden doll just speak to me? I must be going crazy after this fall... Automatically though Schlag, seeing no possible way what she saw was real.
A silence falls on the place, but is then broken by all the guards slowly getting up. They were all human sized wooden toys, wielding halberds and wearing old military uniforms.
Schlag jolts in a combat stance and draws her weapon, startled by the sight of wooden statues suddenly brought to life by unknown means.
Is this the work of a Semblance user? She thought while trying to evaluate their strength. They didn't seem all that dangerous at first since the small one got on his feet the fastest, and they were apparently not used to being manhandled.
The Red Prince was now absolutely furious. His garden was partially destroyed, he and his troops were humiliated, and now he was being ignored? That was too much for the little prince.
Red Prince: GUARDS! Kill the intruder!
Schlag: Oh you want to go that way?! Let's do it then!
While the guards were just getting up, Schlag rushed to the little wooden boy, who, since he wore a crown and just commanded the others, must have been the leader.
A sole guard, seemingly more agile than the others, put himself before her track. He was immediately met with a thundering strike from Schlag blade, Colère. The wooden figure was thrown away, but didn't not seem to have taken much damage.
They're tough... This isn't Neo... Let's try diplomacy
Shocked by such a reaction, the prince couldn't move an inch before a blade was under his wooden throat. At the same time, the guard, apparently not thinking the intruder would dare kill their prince, surrounded Schlag and put their weapon an inch away from her.
Schlag: Make them stand down or your little head will feed this garden. Now!
The Red Prince was shocked no more. He was terrified. Such power and violence displayed. This intruder had the power to resist a fall this big and overwhelm his royal guard. However, he saw something that changed all of this.
Schlag, while approaching the blade further: Did you not hear me!?
The Red Prince was completely silent while the guards ordered the intruder to release their prince, but to no avail.
Red Prince: Your eyes... They are just like mine...
Schlag: What?!
Guards: Red eyes?!
Red Prince: Guards put your weapons down! Don't you see she's a gift from the tree! A... notable pause ...a birthday gift!
The guards, simply following their prince's orders, all took a steadfast pose, leaving Schlag alone in her combat stance, threatening what ressemble more and more a simple kid.
Is this a ploy? Let's not put my guard down She thought, taking Colère off the little prince.
Schlag: Where am I? Who are you? And why are you all made of wood?
Okay maybe I shouldn't have asked the last one she mentally corrected herself, too late.
Red Prince: You mean to tell me you DON'T know who I am? The tree must have been lazy while sending you...
Schlag: What tree?
Well this intru–new one doesn't seem to know much. I guess it's my duty as prince to educate my subjects! Thought the Prince, finding a new opportunity to boast about himself.
Red Prince: You see this is my acre, my castle, my garden. For I am the Red Prince, heir to the Red Castle!
Schlag: So it's technically not yours yet, right?
"I–... Uh yes I guess. But I stand as regent, and all here must obey me!" he retorted, unused to such defiance against his words "but enough, you should give your name before demanding that of another! What are you?"
Schlag: I am Schlag Veindenberg.
"What does THAT mean?" the prince asked, angered to not know of such a being.
"That's my name" she answered, thinking that maybe wood didn't carry information correctly.
"Ah I see. But what ARE you?"
Is this encounter as confusing for them as it is for me? This is not a good sign. Not at all. She wondered, imagining she could be the only human in this place.
"Well I'm a woman for starters"
A long silence followed. Then the Prince's eyes widened, as when he first sighted the light in the sky.
Red Prince: A-a-a wo-wo-wo-woman?!
Small talks and whispers could be heard between the guards, apparently shocked to hear that word.
Schlag: Yes?
Red Prince: This... This is wonderful! Guards!
Two royal guards immediately approached the prince, waiting for his orders while Schlag was still wondering what was happening.
Red Prince, apparently excited: Tell everyone! We have a Red Queen!
The guards nodded and soon vanished, as all the others threw their hat in the air and danced in joy.
Schlag, grabbing the Prince's arm: Wait what do you mean Queen?!
"Well you have red eyes, you're a woman and you've come directly here! This means you're our new queen! Come with me I'll show you around the castle!" said the Prince, leading her towards the entrance.
Schlag: Wait no. I said no!
The Prince stopped, turning around to look at Schlag.
"I am not your "Red Queen" or whatever. I'm not of the same species as you!" she tried to argue.
"No matter! You have a military uniform and your redness makes no doubt! Come mother, we have so many things to prepare" answered the Red Prince.
...
Schlag: That's it I'm going.
Schlag let go of the Prince and tried to walk away through the garden, but some mysterious force brought her right back to where she started after a turn.
After several attempts of the sort, she became angrier and angrier, believing the prince had put some magic in place to trick her since the guards didn't even bother to stop her anymore.
She prepared to draw her sword when a piercing shriek was heard. Everyone directed their attention to it and the guards started to run towards the direction of the sound.
Schlag, believing it to be her way out, followed them, ignoring the Prince.
When she arrived at the scene, she saw multiple tall black humanoid beast, with four striped horns and a bird beak attacking the guards.
Are these Grimm? Anyways, let's kill it. She thought while running towards the battle.
When she arrived, one of them was holding a guard and seemingly going to eat it, so in a haste, Schlag activated her Semblance to blind the creature.
However, to her surprise, she started to glow not white, like she always did, but red. A flamboyant red that made the beast let go of its prey.
The guards were captivated by this sight and did not take advantage of the situation more than this while Schlag went and cut through one of the enemies throat, making it disappear in an explosion of pink glass shards.
This... y/n told me about it... It's that girl's power! From the bandit hideout! Neopolitan! Understood Schlag while she was looking for her next target.
However she got surprised when the royal guards, emboldened by her leadership, arranged themselves again and counter-attacked the beast.
Guard: For the Queen!
Guard: Don't let her fight alone!
Schlag was suddenly passed by by tens of guards rushing into battle, but soon followed them and together, they pushed back the remaining creatures.
Shouting victory, the royal guards surrounded Schlag, and knelt before her. She did not even have the time to sheath her sword that the Red Prince was brought by some other guards, and looked at her in awe.
Red Prince: Our Queen defeated the Jabberwalker!
Okay maybe I made a mistake here. She thought, understanding it would be even harder to leave now...