Jeanne rotated her both her shoulders, feel the joints pop and the muscles warm and loosen as she moved. With a slow breath she felt earthy sensation come over her skin as she summoned the rockscale over her body. The weight of the rock weighing down her limbs and torso. Tensing her fingers, her knuckles, and the rocks over them, cracked, echoing in the training yard in the bailey.

She looked at a mannequin made of straw and hay staring back at her with cold dead charcoal eyes. She imagined the face of the Kolvilles in front of her. Her hands squeezed into tightened fists, shaking with rage. Her teeth bared, eyes turning red, she began striking the training dummy with fierce hatred.

Each hit fraying the straw beneath her knuckles. Each punch she saw the image of her sister when she was returned to her family. Broken, bloodied, each wound speaking volumes of the torture she endured. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she violently attacked the mannequin. Roaring as her unmoving opponent cracked and shattered from her assault. Soon she stopped trying to retain her form, slamming her hands into the scarecrow, knocking it to the ground.

Pouncing on the dummy, she struck it with such ferocity, chunks of the stone on her knuckles flew off and she struck with her bared knuckles. As any semblance of form long gone she felt someone calling out. She gave no care for the voice, unwilling to show mercy to this proxy of all the hate and pain she had kept inside for years.

She felt a person pull on her shoulder. Without thinking she latched onto the person, pulling them down, raising her fist to strike them when she heard them scream her name. “Jeanne!”

Jeanne snapped out of her fury. Seeing Hypatia on the floor her throat in Jeanne’s tight grip, unable to breath before Jeanne released her grip. She stood up as a cold sweat began beading in her skin with her hands shaking and her breathing quickening. While Hypatia got to her feet Jeanne back moving out of the training yard.

“Jeanne!” Hypatia called out.

But Jeanne didn’t stop. Not until she left the underground fortress and entered the woods outside. Reaching a tree within the forest, she tried to steady her nerves and racing pulse. She wheezed as she gripped the trunk of the tree tightly. The world spun around her while she slowly went down to her knees and wrapped her arms around her torso.

Jeanne spotted someone coming up to her, from the corner of her eye. She fell to the ground, pushing herself away from the person. As her senses cam back she found Hypatia standing near her, slowly lowering to one knee. “Jeanne,” Hypatia said to Jeanne. “It’s me.”

Jeanne stared at Hypatia, wide eyed while still breathing heavy and unable to speak.

“It’s me, Jeanne,” Hypatia said to Jeanne.

Jeanne felt the rush of anxiety finally subside. Thoughts coming back as she gradually moved into a sitting position with her legs crossed. Her head hung from her shoulders with Hypatia sitting next to her. “What happened back there?”

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“I just – I don’t know.”

“Is it because of what happened in the alley?”

“I said I don’t know!” Jeanne screamed.

“All right, all right,” Hypatia insisted lifting up her palms to Jeanne to try and clam her. “We can come back to that later.”

“I’m sorry,” Jeanne said, “I know you’re trying to help. But … it just feels like everything is starting to slip out of my control all over again. And I hate all of it!”

“I think you need some time to not worry about this.”

“I can put this all behind me when all of these Kolvilles are left to feed the wolves. And find whoever put this bounty on my head and shove their manhood down their throat.”

“As I said, maybe find some time to collect ourselves before we indulge in any irreversible measures. Particularly ones involving the removal of body parts and forcing them to be digested.”

Jeanne gave Hypatia a stern look.

“I didn’t say not to do it, just maybe give it a day before actually doing it.”

Jeanne sat back down, running her fingers through her ruffled hair. “I’m just tired of people acting as if they'd take a higher road when they've never had to endure any of this."

Hypatia chagrined. “Selene probably didn’t help.”

“No, she fucking did not,” Jeanne asserted.

“I really am sorry for what happened, Jeanne.”

“You didn’t do it, you shouldn’t apologize.”

“But I can’t help that I feel bad for what she did. I know she can be a little, well, ardent in her actions.”

“She almost got a few teeth knocked out.”

“I didn’t say it was her wisest decision.”

“Like she fucking knows what I’ve been through, what my family was put through. Selene never learned how her sister was murdered by some noblemen’s group of bored children. Felt the sense of hopelessness when the very system of justice you were told would seek out any and all who’d do you wrong sit by and do nothing. Was forced to sit by and let those horrid fiends make jests about what they did in front of you, knowing you knew the context. She doesn’t know what’s its like to be hunted like a dog, forced into an exile because you did what the authorities had no courage to do. Where’s her ego then! Where’s her enlightened thoughts and visions? Yet, she can stand and strut and judge me for things she knows nothing about. Yeah, she can fucking judge me.”

Hypatia gave an uncomfortable smile, patting Jeanne’s shoulder.

Jeanne rested her head into her hands before letting out a long-pained moan. “I’m just tired of people acting like they’re better than me or would’ve taken the higher road when you know they would’ve done the same thing. When they’ve had lives far from the harsh realities from their safe walls.”

Hypatia kept patting Jeanne’s shoulder. Jeanne looked up as Hypatia hand landed firmly and didn’t come back up, seeing Hypatia stare off in the distance. Jeanne turned quickly to find Selene standing off in the distance. Jeanne tightened her fists once she saw her and rose to her feet.

Selene put on hand to her chest and lifted the palm of her other hand to Jeanne. Her mouth trembled as she tried to speak. “I … I didn’t know … any of that,” she said with her voice breaking.

Jeanne breathed in sharply. She bit down on both lips, stretching her neck before shaking her head and returning to The Unyielding Fortress. Selene tried to move towards her, but Jeanne quickly held up her hand. “I want to be left alone,” she said sternly.

“Jeanne,” Hypatia called out.

“Not everything can be solved with a quick sorry and a hug, Hypatia. And right now, I just want people to stay the fuck away from me,” Jeanne said as she continued into the cavern.