THE VICTOR | A ZRCN SPECIAL REWRITE
As with the rewrite of arc 1 and the continued rewrite of arc 2, it felt right to update what ended up being the only special of the whole fic.
So enjoy!
Wren
The Vytal Festival was one of the few times Huntsmen and Huntresses in training got to prove themselves at such a grand scale. Wren had waited eagerly for her time to participate, missing her first opportunity two years prior when her team was not selected to attend, before finally getting her chance this year.
Only some teams got to participate in the festival during their school years so when Team WLOW were finally invited to compete for Atlas in Atlas, Wren was determined to make the most of it. She attended as many matches as she could - lessons permitting - watching eagerly to see how the other teams performed, met with contestants from the other academies, and frequented many of the events the academy hosted in tandem with the actual tournament.
Team WLOW had easily moved past the teams round but it would be in the doubles round where they would meet their downfall.
Wren had known they were going to compete against the Valean Team COPR and had rewatched their previous match to prepare. Initially, Wren had wanted to put herself and Stanford forward to compete, but Lorelei had been persistent in asking to accompany Wren. Against her better judgment, Wren eventually relented and agreed to let Lorelei be her partner.
Facing off against Otso Umber and Raleigh Radcliff, Wren initially felt in high spirits and liked the odds that the battle could have gone either way. As it drew to a close, Wren was confident that she and Lorelei might even have been able to win. They had succeeded in chipping away at their two opponents steadily throughout the match, with Wren utilising her clones to deal primarily with Raleigh, whilst she and Lorelei tried to deal with Otso.
As the battle was winding down, Otso had his massive greatsword drawn back ready to attack. Wren motioned to Lorelei to stay back and deal with Raleigh, knowing that she stood a better chance against the ursine man with her weapon. One or two direct blasts with the missiles from her weapon ought to have taken his aura down to a critical level and handed them the win.
Wren was rushing forward when suddenly she collided with Lorelei, who ignored Wren’s instructions and seemed set on dealing with Otso herself and ignoring Wren’s earlier instruction in the middle of battle. The two women stumbled and fell before quickly trying to separate their tangled bodies. Lorelei promptly gave her a mouthful for not looking where she was going as they did so, meanwhile, Wren just stared back unable to believe what she was hearing whilst quietly seething about how Lorelei dared to be angry with her.
Although Lorelei was able to get back onto her feet, neither woman was aptly prepared to deal with the counterstrike from Otso after their accident. Lorelei was only standing upright for a few moments before her legs buckled and she started screaming as she was struck by Otso’s pain-inflicting semblance. Wren could feel it prickling at the edges of her mind too, though shielded her ears to try and nullify the effects as best she could. Left defenceless after this, neither of them could counter the shockwave that came when Otso’s weapon struck the ground near them and dropped both their auras below the critical level.
Despite the pain of losing, Wren tried her best to be gracious about the defeat. She shook hands with both of her opponents - ignoring the smug brag from Raleigh in the process - and bid a humble farewell to the home crowd as they left the arena for the last time as competitors.
It was only in the wake of their defeat that irritation took root in her heart and began to bloom.
A day had barely passed before Lorelei began to complain about the defeat speaking in vague terms that hinted about how the loss was Wren’s fault without actually outright blaming her. Looking at her now as she spoke with Stanford, choosing her words carefully so as not to outright blame Wren for the loss, Wren just wanted to hit her. So much so, in fact, that Wren found her hands clenched into fists. She could not say for certain whether she would have had more luck if she had been allowed to partner with Stanford as she had initially wanted, but they certainly would have fared much better. He probably would have given that irritating Raleigh a harder time at least.
Wren was beginning to wonder how much longer she could listen to Lorelei’s excuses without flying across the room and slapping her. It was a relief when she was aware of Olive’s presence next to her, her green-haired teammate having drifted over from where she had been reading in the corner of their dorm.
A hand rested comfortingly on her shoulder. “You seem a little stressed,” Olive observed, tip-toeing slightly to whisper in Wren’s ear. “Do you want to get out for a bit? Maybe go to the fair?”
“That sounds like a lovely idea,” Wren responded softly. With Lorelei having corralled Stanford into a forced conversation, the two of them saw their opportunity to sneak out of the room hopefully unnoticed. Unfortunately, they were not so lucky in that regard.
“And where do you two think you’re going?” Lorelei asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Behind her, Stanford shot them a sympathetic glance. Out of WLOW, Stanford seemed to be the only one Lorelei could truly tolerate, which was amusing given how much she could annoy him as well.
“We’re heading out for a little bit,” Olive answered. “I thought Wren could do with a little cheering up after that defeat.”
Lorelei eyed them carefully for a moment. “I think our time would be better used discussing what went wrong,” Wren noted how the woman’s violet gaze shifted to her momentarily, and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks, “and how we can overcome this.”
Wren felt an angry barb threatening to spill out of her mouth, so it was lucky when Olive intervened for her.
“Oh fuck off, Lorelei,” Olive said, waving her off. “Don’t act like you care about team tactics after that stunt you played in the last match.”
Following Olive’s remark, Lorelei merely gawked at the two of them. Wren suspected she might have had something to say in response had it not been for Olive promptly pulling Wren out of the dorm with her and hurrying down the corridor. They paused once they were a safe distance away and were certain Lorelei hadn’t followed them. Both Wren and Olive looked at each other awkwardly before bursting out laughing, neither of them seeming to believe what Olive had just said. They let their giggles out before regaining their composure and heading out to the festival grounds in the city.
***
“I swear that woman is insufferable!”
Next to her, Olive nodded her head in agreement, whilst managing to swallow a mouthful of noodles. After escaping from the room, the pair made their way down to the fairground that had been set up for the festival. It wasn’t as large or as grand as some of the fairgrounds that the other kingdoms put together, but by Atlesian standards, it was fairly decent. After perusing some of the items on offer, Olive had led her to a noodle stall called “Deal or Noo-deal”, and bought them two large bowls, offering to pay for the meal as part of a “cheer up” present for Wren.
“You know I’ll be glad when we graduate and can go our own ways,” Wren admitted, earning a glance from Olive. She knew her friend well enough to know it wasn’t a judgemental look but rather one borne of curiosity. “You, Stan, and me, we should form a team together, Lorelei be damned. We’ll call ourselves Team WOW.”
Olive laughed, quickly swallowing her mouthful of noodles lest she choke. “The feeling is mutual you know.”
“How so?” Wren quirked a brow. Was Olive referring to herself and Stanford?
“Lorelei has mentioned wanting to form our own ‘mini team’ numerous times before. Without you, of course,” Olive said setting down her chopsticks. Wren rolled her eyes. “She thinks you’re holding us back.”
“Of course she would,” Wren scoffed. “Her head is so far up her own ass I’m surprised she could tell.”
At this, Olive snorted with laughter, and Wren couldn’t help but laugh along with her.
“Whilst that sounds like a nice idea, I thought you’d been offered the chance to become a specialist by the army?” Olive said once they had both calmed down. “Wouldn’t that kinda prevent the three of us from operating as a team?” Olive pointed out.
“Oh, I was offered that, but I’m not sure if it’s what I want right now,” Wren admitted, with an awkward shrug. She had never been opposed to becoming a specialist, seeing it as an opportunity to do some real good in the kingdom, whilst also having a bit more structure and stability than regular Huntsmen had. Time in the academy had made her less keen to join once she graduated and more keen to explore her options as an independent Huntress.
“What?!” Olive exclaimed. “Why not? You’d make a great specialist!”
“Thanks,” Wren said, smiling at the compliment. “I mean don’t get me wrong, I’d still like to become one, but I’d rather do other things first, and I don’t know, get out there and see the world. Plus, if they want me that bad I’m sure they won’t mind waiting a few years, right?”
Olive shrugged at the last part but offered a sympathetic smile. “Hey, it’s your life, Wren, live it as you see fit,” Olive said. “If you are thinking of holding off for a few years, I hope that means we get to go on a few more adventures together after graduation.”
“Of course we will,” Wren smiled. “You promised me you’d show me Vale, remember?”
The pair continued to eat their meal, mostly talking about the tournament so far, and who they predicted to win. With their team’s defeat, only a handful of competitors were left, though there was still one doubles match to be fought out. Olive seemed to think a young man from Mistral had a good shout. Wren seemed more convinced by the Vacuo team that had far exceeded everyone’s expectations. As Wren launched into a lengthy conversation about why the Vacuo team might be the winner, she noted her partner’s gaze shift to somewhere behind her before suddenly looking forward.
“Don’t turn around.” Olive urged.
“What, why?”
But Wren had her answer when a familiar voice rang in her ears.
“Well, well, if it isn’t little Birdy and Olivine!”
Wren swiftly turned around in her seat, spotting the person the voice belonged to - Raleigh Radcliff. As if the day wasn’t bad enough already, the very man she and Lorelei had lost to, was also approaching - the abnormally tall, Otso Umber.
“That’s not my name.” Wren snapped, halting them in their tracks. “And that’s not her name either.”
“What?”
“Olive Vines,” Olive clarified, turning around to face the two as Wren was. She flashed them a falsely sweet smile. “It’s two names actually but it's an easy mistake.”
“My name isn’t Birdy,” Wren said soon after, “It is Wren. Wren Honeycutt.”
Raleigh made a shrug, feigning an apologetic look for having gotten her name wrong. “So, what were you two talking about?”
Wren groaned inwardly, wishing that of all the members of Team COPR they hadn’t been stuck with these two. Otso was fine, if a little unnervingly quiet, but Raleigh was far too smug for her tastes. His bravado reminded her of some of the male students at the academy who seemed intent on flirting with her if they were put together in class. What she wouldn’t have done for the company of Priscilla Chiffon from Team COPR, at least she was more polite than her teammates and would have fit in better with Olive and Wren.
“We were talking about who will win the tournament,” Wren responded, moving to turn away from them.
“Ah, so us then,” Raleigh said gesturing to himself and Otso behind him.
“What, no!” Wren protested, having turned around to face them again. “Him, maybe,” She gestured towards Otso, “but you certainly don’t strike me as winning material.”
Raleigh’s smile faded slightly but he pushed on. “Well you still lost to us didn’t you?”
Wren groaned, rolling her eyes a little. “Don’t remind me.”
“Tell me, Wren, are you a betting woman?” Raleigh suddenly asked.
Wren blinked in surprise, eyeing him suspiciously. “Depends,” She said slowly. “Why do you ask?”
“You seem so determined to believe we won’t win, so let’s have a little fun with it,” He responded. “Fifty Lien sound reasonable to you?”
“What are the terms first?” Wren cut in.
“Well, if you’re right and we do lose, I’ll pay you fifty Lien, and as a bonus, I’ll treat you to a lovely gift from one of these stalls,” Raleigh began, taking a moment to pause so the first of his terms had time to sink in.
Wren made a show of looking as though she were deeply considering his terms. “The Lien would do fine, but if you want to go out of your way to spend more, go ahead,” Wren cut in, with a sweet smile playing on her lips. “I’m in need of a new pair of boots anyway.”
Raleigh studied her carefully for a moment, returning her smile with a dazzlingly charming one, before finishing the terms of his little wager. “If I’m right, and we win, you owe me fifty Lien, and you have to go on a date with me.”
Wren’s brows raised in surprise, and beside her, she could hear Olive protesting against this. After a moment of thinking this over, she extended a hand for him to shake. “Deal.”
With a small chuckle, Raleigh reached out and shook her hand. He was still holding her hand when he bent his head and kissed her knuckles lightly. “I look forward to our date.” He said, relinquishing her hand with a wink as he and his friend departed.
Wren watched the two of them leave, suddenly aware of the warmth in her cheeks, though she didn’t know if it was out of anger at his teasing or because she had actually rather enjoyed the little kiss on her knuckles.
Once they were gone, both women turned back to their bowls of noodles.
“I can’t believe you just made a bet with him,” Olive said shaking her head. “You know you really will have to go on a date with him if he wins.”
“Him, winning?” Wren threw her head back in false laughter. “That won’t happen in a million years, especially not against that Vacuo team.” Or rather that was the hope at least. Team TEAL had gone from rank outsiders to one of the favourites to win. Although she didn’t know which team member would be stepping up, Wren didn’t think Raleigh would be able to compete with the likes of Tequila Alvarado or Bailey Estrada.
Olive shook her head again, this time in a more amused fashion. “If you say so, Wren,” She said, before picking up some more noodles between her chopsticks. “Just remember that when you come crawling to me complaining about having to go out with him then.”
“Oh, Livvy, you do worry too much sometimes,” Wren said, patting her friend on the shoulder. “Trust me, it’s never going to happen.”