Bad Dream

Yang got in the carriage and settled down across from Blake. Blake smiled at her but she couldn't find it in herself to return it. She hated the way she'd been treated at the chapel previously, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it. Well. Maybe now she could, now that she was officially part of the royal family. She didn't know what to say or do and she felt like she was pushing against the grain if she were to try to flex her power.She really didn't want to do that but...she knew she needed to. No matter what, though, it seemed as if she was in a lose-lose situation. Quiet and complaint? She had to accept the racism. Push against the grain of racism and try to claim her place along with her rightful power? People would hate her, despite the fact she was now officially wed to Blake. She hadn't thought this would happen so soon, but...it was the only real way to save her from being treated poorly. She had little choice but to exert the power of the royal family here. Kali and the rest of them had told her to do just that. It felt strange that she'd be treating Faunus so poorly...but she was getting treated poorly as well, so what was she supposed to do about it? There really was no winning here. The ride to the chapel was relatively quiet since she was pretty sure Blake could sense her anxiety. Well, considering she was an advanced aura user, she could definitely read Yang's anxiety. She just... There really was no winning here. None. She couldn't just lay down and accept being treated so poorly by the people that were supposed to be her subjects. She really hoped she could win some people over in due time but pushing around her rank wouldn't win her any favors... But what else was there to do? Especially since it wasn't like Blake could be with her 24/7 or anything... She had to get used to pushing her weight and rank around even if it made people hate her. They arrived at the chapel again and a woman put a hand up. "Humans aren't all--" "A princess of Chiole haseveryright to beanywhere,"Blake said firmly. "If you think you can discriminate against your new princess-consort, you'rewrong." The woman blanched and bowed to Blake. "Your Highness, certainly you don't--" "I don'twhat?She is my lawfully-wedded wife and, therefore, has access to everywhere that any royal family member can be. If you think you can deny a princess-consort access to her spiritual health, you're mistaken." Blake's tone wasincrediblychilly and Yang was glad she hadn't crossed her. Blake definitely knew her place and wielded her power with deep authority. She wouldn't letanybodypush Yang around. They were still uncertain about each other, but they had to provide a united front to the public so that way they couldn't push Yang around. The woman balked again and her bow grew deeper. "My apologies, Your Highness...es." She glanced at Yang and her ears went down. Even without advanced aura, Yang could guess her thoughts. Humans weren't fit to sit on the throne or wield any sort of power or authority that wouldn't harm Faunus. She really did hate that she would have to push people around in order to get the racism to stop. But there was no other recourse. It really was the only way to get people to shut up and allow her to do things that she really ought to have been able to do...like continue her clergy training. Yang offered a weak apology smile to the woman, only to get a glower in return. Yang sighed and headed up the stairs to the chapel with Blake in tow. They made their way into the offices, only to attempt to be stopped a few times with the same results. They entered the office of the head chaplain and the woman frowned. "Your Highness, what are you doing here with that...human? I thought we made it clear she wasn't welcome here." "'That human,' as you sowonderfullyput it, ismylawfully wedded wife andyourprincess-consort, eventually to be queen-consort. If you think you can discriminate against a member of the royal family and deny her access to her spiritual health..." Blake narrowed her eyes, making the chaplain's ears go down and her body to tense. "For now, shewillbe continuing her acolyte training here whether you want her here or not. And keep in mind sheismy wife. So if Ieverhear from her that your people are denying her privileges that would be afforded other acolytes, youwillreceive sanctions and reprimands from the King and Queenthemselves.Is thatclear,chaplain?" Blake's tone leftzeroroom for argument. The chaplain's ears remained down and she shot Yang a withering glare. "Yes, I understand, Your Highness." "Highnesses.She iseverybit a princess just as I am.Yourprincess at that. I expect the same level of respect that you'd show to me shown to her. I willnotfuss around with sanctions and reprimands if I hear so much as aninklingof your treating her poorly. And she has myeverysupport to remind you of your place if necessary." Yang couldn't help but feel bad for the tongue lashing the chaplain was getting yeah... She needed to be put in her place. Nobody could discriminate against the royal family. To do so would be unimaginable especially since it did seem like the Chilese people really loved their king and queen. It wasn't like anybody hadchosenthis for Blake... Kali had done her best to convince the king this was wholly unnecessary, but he had refused to budge on the matter. She just... There was absolutely no winning here. "Understood." The chaplain's ears remained down, though her sour gaze didn't turn from Yang. "Well, let's find you a class you can join. Will you be staying with your wife, Your Highness?" "I expect you to treat her just as well as myself. Iwillkeep my word if she reports back to me your chapel hasn't treated her well." Yang looked at Blake who nodded. Well, she was probably going to have to fully push her weight and rank around. She wished she had that tiara to remind people of her rank already, but she would have to wait a couple of days. She at least had the signet ring which could act as a clear link to the Belladonna household. She hated that these people would likely come to resent her, but what else could she do? Blake squeezed Yang's hand then left, leaving her alone with the chaplain. The woman's ears remained down, her expression still sour. "We haven't allowed humans here for a very long time. But I cannot argue with the idea of royal sanctions and reprimands. How far into your acolyte training were you?" They spent a little while talking about where Yang's training had been and how far she'd gotten. She was close to full priestess rank since she'd been going to acolyte training since she'd been somewhat young. The chaplain was very receptive to talking to her, but then again, with the threat of the royal family bringing down punishment on the admittedly small chapel, it wasn't like they could really afford to treat her poorly. "My name is Velma, by the way." "Yang, but you will refer to me as such is proper for my title." She mustered up the best authority voice she could, though she was pretty certain it came across as flat as she felt. It was going to take time for her to get used to wielding authority. She felt stupid because she had never done this before. She held no power or title in Vale, but she was now expected to rule with the authority of a member of a royal family. This was a mess. Velma clearly wasn't impressed, but she bowed and nodded. "Very well, Your Highness. Let me introduce you to the ones around your age that are your rank." They left the room and she continued to get very nasty looks from the people as they passed through the halls, but Velma's body posturing remained subdued and even submissive. Wielding royal authority felt bad but knowing it'd make people hate her... She just... Again, what else was she supposed to do? She had no idea. It felt terrible to 'put someone in their place' for her. She was so used to spending time with commoners and actually treated as one of their own… They entered a classroom with about four or five acolytes who were in proper attire when she was in normal clothing. The priest at the front raised an eyebrow and Velma approached, talking to him quietly. She was pretty sure it was in Chilese but she had no way to confirm because it was so quiet and on the other side of the room. Regardless, the priest didn't look happy in the slightest. His tail was rigid and he cast Yang the same glower Velma had given her. "You. Come here." Yang pulled her posture up the best she could and spoke when she got over to him. "I am not 'you.' I am 'Your Highness' and you shall refer to me as such." Once again, she was pretty sure it fell flat from the unimpressed look on the priest's face. Still, she showed him the signet ring."Anyinfractions of etiquette and respectwillbe reported straight to His Majesty and Her Majesty, so I expect you to treat me as such." She needed to get used to this. This really was the best way to handle it. Just jump straight into the deep end and get used to it. They would no doubt hate her for all of this, but there was no other recourse. If she wanted to be treated fairly and with respect, she needed to act with all of the pomp of a royal family member. She was trying her best, but people clearly could tell she wasn't used to this. The man snorted, his tail swishing in an agitated manner. "Very well,Your Highness."Mockery. Pure mockery. That was all it was. "If you wish to study, then sit down. And I expect you to be inproper attirenext time. Do you understand?" "Yes, of course. This trip was very short notice, so I didn't have time to put my robes on. Though...would you happen to have extra acolyte robes better suited for Chiole's tropical temperatures? My ones from Vale will be too warm to sit in most of the day." She absolutely wasn't trying to be contraining; she simply didn't want to pass out because her robes were too heavy. And it wasn't like there was a way to have cool water with her at all times. Ice would melt in Chiole's temperature and climate... She wasn't even used to that for Vale. “Oh,very well.” The man went to another room and came back a moment later with an arm full of robes. She slipped them on over her clothes and sat down. The lesson began and it was all stuff she was fairly familiar with. She wasn’t sure how many acolytes were here, but it seemed like they trained all of them in one go. She was on her way to becoming a priestess but they were apparently far behind where she’d been in Vale… She would probably just have to put up with it, unfortunately. The robes were definitely a lot lighter than what her Valian robes would’ve been had she worn them. This was going to be a long haul it seemed… She knew she had to deal with acolyte training but she hadn’t expected them to be so far behind. The calendar dictated where they should’ve been but they weren’t there… It wasn’t like she had any room to complain though. She just had to deal with it. Eventually, the lesson let out and it was getting close to evening. The man that had let her into the lesson approached. “Are you going to have dinner with us? You shouldknowit’s customary for acolytes to eat with their mentors.” She frowned. This was clearly some sort of test unfortunately. Even she could see it. She hated that she was so torn between two worlds. Yes, it was customary but… “Customary but notnecessary, sir. I’m from a noble family in Vale and I don’t live at the chapel like a lot of acolytes do. I had responsibilities to take care of at home and I have responsibilities to take care ofhereas well. Iamroyalty here, after all.” She held her head high, trying to not show the anxiety that cropped up in her. She was really trying but it was definitely difficult. She was now princess-consort and people couldn’t and shouldn’t speak against it, though she knew they would very much. She was being met with resistance everywhere and she was attempting to make it clear she didn’t approve of being treated like complete and absolute garbage. She was really trying. It was just so hard when they obviously didn’t have a shred of respect for her. She could understand why but it didn’t make things any easier. The man gave her a withering look but nodded. She knew she’d be treated differently because she chose not to live at the chapel like a lot of acolytes. She was sure some lived down in the city and walked there, but most could and did live in the chapel. She really wanted to stay here, but she knew she’d be treated terribly even if she did. She would be there the next morning but she wouldn’t have breakfast with them because, well, she needed to eat with the Belladonnas. She headed out to the carriage that waited for her and got in. She slumped against the seat and sighed, closing her eyes. She hated every moment of being here. Somehow, despite being strangers, being with the Belladonnas was the best part of being here. They were kind, understanding, and didn’t put too much pressure on her. When she left the palace, though, she was put under a close lens and her every action scrutinised.And she knew it would likelyneverstop. She hated being away from Vale. Yes, she was mostly ignored there, but she’d rather be ignored rather than treated likethis. She hated this. She really did. It was terrible and she despised all of it. She arrived back and followed her bird to her room where she took off the robes and put them away, then headed out to where the Belladonnas sat for dinner. Her mother was already there, chatting away with Kali. Her mother was far more sociable than she was a lot of the time. Well. Yang could usually get along with people pretty well, but nobody here liked her simply because she was human. She hated all of this. But what else could she do? She was trying to put on a brave face and not bend or break, but it was hard. How Blake dealt with this so gracefully, she really didn’t understand. It would take a lot of time for Yang to truly embrace her new status and not be affected by how people were treating her. She dropped down at the table and sighed, resting her chin on her arms. Blake got up and sat next to her. “Rough day?” “Yeah. They all hate me. I’m just the same as they are, but they want me to stay at the chapel and eat with them. I can’t really do that, though.” She shook her head. Yeah, that wasn’t how that worked. She had to stay with the Belladonnas because shewasroyalty now. She wasn’t just some random acolyte from a commoner family. She was princess-consort now. She had to deal with lessons of all sorts and would eventually have to abandon her acolyte lessons even though she didn’t want to. Blake had said she could just focus on her acolyte training, but she didn’t want to seem lazy or disconnected from the Chiole populace despite being a foreign human. Ugh. All of this was so complicated! Why couldn’t she just have stayed in Vale? Things would’ve been so much easier that way. Blake was kind as was Kali but ugh… “I’m so sorry. We’re trying our best but…it just doesn’t help that the Faunus here are usually victims of terrible racism or might be descendants of slaves. So many slaves flee here because they just can’t deal with anymore of it…” “I get it, Blake. I understand why they act the way they do. That doesn’t make iteasyto deal with, though.” She was trying. And she did understand. The history of racism and slavery wasn’t something that would be erased easily. Those memories would last long past when people passed away. Those scars would remain for generations. She wasn’t sure slavery would ever be abolished. She was just glad that it didn’t exist in Vale…But it didn’t mean Vale was perfect either. It was the best human-led kingdom as far as her knowledge went, but that didn’t mean it was free of prejudice. Plus, people from other kingdoms filtered in and moved there, bringing their own thoughts and ideals with them… It was one big mess. Blake nodded and petted her head. “I know you want to learn the language but…why don’t you take tonight off? There’s nobody forcing you to go to lessons after such a bad day.You can even take room in your dinner if you want. I can feel the exhaustion rolling off of you.” She wasn’t so much physically exhausted but mentally and emotionally. She did want to learn the language so she could communicate with people but, yeah…She kind of just wanted to curl up and not do much for the rest of the night. “Okay. Thanks.” The kids played in the background but eventually dinner came. Yang and Raven picked up their plates and headed back to their room where they ate in relative silence. She could practically feel Raven burning with questions, but she was glad when her mother refrained from doing so. They placed their plates outside of the door and Yang laid down on the futon, closing her eyes. It was too early to all asleep, but she definitely wanted to just curl up. She didn’t move, just letting her mind and body rest until the light started to wane. She got ready for bed and curled up alongside her mother, felling into a fitful and uneasy rest.