The Other Daughter

Chapter 3

Soft grass brushed against Yang's cheek as she slowly came to in a field just beyond a long stretch of forest. She must have run for hours before finally collapsing here, where there was no sign of any Grimm or travelers apart from herself. She yawned and pushed up onto her knees, realizing with horror that she had not brought water with her.

"Feeling rested?"

Yang jumped up in surprise, rolling away from the source of the voice and grabbing for her tantō, which fortunately was snugly resting in her utility belt. She glared up at the stranger, only to feel her mouth go dry at the sight of Raven. Her mother sat cross-legged atop a tree stump near where she'd slept. A twinkle of morning sunlight filtered through her thick mane of black hair, casting a warm glow around her.

"How...how did you find me?" Yang croaked out. She kept up her impromptu battle pose more out of reflex than conscious choice, maintaining a firm grip on her weapon.

Raven sighed, flicking her chin toward her sword, which was planted firmly in the ground a few feet away. Oh. That made sense. Yang was so caught up in the unexpectedness of her mother's appearance that the logical explanation of Raven's semblance leading her here flew right over her head.

"How long have you been here?" Yang asked, sounding more accusatory this time. She may have filled a lesser role in the tribe compared to her mother, but Raven was in no position to expect kindness from her.

"All night," Raven said. "There weren't any Grimm, but I didn't want to take chances."

That was when Yang saw it for herself. Raven looked at her sadly, revealing tired, reddened eyes that clearly had not seen a minute of sleep. Had she really protected her that way? Did that mean she left the tribe without a leader?

"Wait, what about the others?"

"I left Vernal in charge. She can handle things until we make it back."

"We?" Yang's chest lightened with relief at the reassurance that the tribe was in capable hands. Halfway into getting onto her feet, however, the princess froze in her tracks. "What makes you think I'll go back with you?"

Raven went silent. Yang wasn't used to this, and she didn't know how to explain it with words, but she knew they both felt it: a shift had taken place in their dynamic.

"Hello, mom?" she pressed.

"I'd understand if you didn't come back, but even so..." Without another word, Raven hopped down from the tree stump, picked up her sword, and slashed the space in front of her. Yang watched in silence as her mother stepped toward the portal. Giving her daughter one last look, she stepped inside, stopping halfway. "The choice is yours. I won't force you." Then she was gone, but the portal remained.

Yang stood there, wrestling with her melting pot of emotions. Overwhelmed by the weight of this choice, she decided to go now, and finish thinking things over later. She didn't exactly feel at peace with her mother right now, but that didn't mean she was ready to strike out on her own. So, resigned to her situation, she followed her mother into the portal.

In the blink of an eye, Yang found herself back inside the tribe's established campgrounds. On all sides of her, people were packing up and storing things in wagons or on the backs of horses. She found Vernal watching them from behind a rack of recently smithed swords.

"We can talk later," Raven said. "Today, we're moving on to the next village."

Yang gasped. That was right! Today was the day they chased out the residents of another village and raided the place. She wasn't entirely the tribal princess she once thought, so did she even want to do something like that anymore? Who knew how much more of the truth may have been kept from her?