Once, humans lived alone. Long ago, in ages before art, before many science, before many things, humans lived alone. But at some point in the distant past, there came another. A subset, like Homo sapiens was to Homo erectus, so were the Faunus to humans. Animal ears and tails distinguished a Faunus.
Very few viewed the Faunus negatively, they were well integrated into the world of Remnant. Then the War began. Seeking to suppress certain civilian elements, the Kingdom of Vale began taking artists, torturing them, and making them stop creating. The populous soon revolted, turning the whole conflict into a massive civil war which took millions of people. The war soon became known as the War of Colors.
Faunus weren't part of the War. They weren't truly affected unless they lived in human districts, and many resented them. Even before the discrimination following the war, they preferred their own living, their own space. Their involvement was minimal, but enough to have their own casualties.
Following the War, Human's discontent with the Faunus and their lack of action came to bear. Racism, discrimination, and lynching's would soon became the norm, until a group of Faunus, later dubbed the White Fang, took it upon themselves to save as many Faunus as possible, opening Menagerie, a safe haven for all that wished to live peacefully, be they human or Faunus.
A further few, extreme in their demands and ideals, took a more… difficult approach.
Bombings, assassinating politicians that opposed them, general racketeering, and a few drug deals to fund their operations, the Red Claw grew. They slowly began to take over the cities, and almost every attempt to take them down was met with heavy losses. The ones that didn't ended with officers missing their target by a couple of days.
The Faunus that tried to remain neutral were quickly rounded up by the populous. Their rights all but stripped, Faunus became slaves, second-class citizens. Unable to hold down steady, well-paying jobs, the Faunus turned, and the Red Claw began to grow even larger. Soon, terrorists began to take over businesses, people feared the night, and many humans began demanding military action be taken.
After what became a short, but extremely violent, war, humanity had squashed what they believed to be all Faunus, and peace reigned for a few decades. A major player during the wars were the Schnee's, a noble sort of family, and they were quickly placed on top of the monarchy, and their rule brought many a prosperous life.
Meanwhile, Menagerie had grown quickly. The few humans that had come with the Faunus found themselves dying out, finding that the Faunus gene was dominant. Chief amongst their lines were the Scarlatina's, and their vassals, the Belladonna's. The Faunus grew, their own section of the world thriving in every sense of the word. Their navy was mighty in preparation for war, as they never forgot the Humans, their cruelty and penchant for destruction made them stories for children, terrible cautionary tales to deter bad behavior.
Decades passed without them contacting each other, until a wayward Faunus fleet found itself near the shores of Vale's capitol. A few hours of combat followed, with the Vale Defense Fleet emerging victorious. The few Faunus survivors escaped, and made their way home. Telling their king and queen of the encounter, the Menagerie Navy was quickly dispatched.
The war that followed was long and hard for both sides, losses mounted hitting the thousands within days. Ships were traded back and forth as captures became a necessity to keep the fleets alive. Battles became an everyday thing, raids on coastal village's commonplace. When their numbers hit the low millions, the Humans sent an envoy to vie for peace. A deal was quickly stuck, the daughters of both lines would marry, cementing the peace between the kingdoms. The Schnee Heiress, and the Scarlatina Princess.
Weiss Schnee and Velvet Scalatina.
"I still can't believe I have to go through with this!" Weiss exclaimed. The wedding was set to take place in a week, and she had not even met the Princess. "Why can't Winter do it instead?"
"Weiss, you are well aware of the fact that Winter has her own duties. She's slated to marry the Rose heiress, and you know how important that alliance is" her father responded. His voice grated her nerves. Honor was the most important thing to the man, and she had to do as he said.
"Father, I don't even know this girl! We might not even be compatible! And not to mention the fact that she's a Faunus!" She spat the last word out as if it were a curse. The Schnee's had been hit hard by the War, considering their reign, and the fact that they owned most of the property that was destroyed, many of the ships that were lost, and most, if not all, of the men, had been deployed on their orders, making them, however indirectly, the reason they'd died.
"I know that, Weiss. But the fact remains, if this war was to continue, we'd lose. Spectacularly" her father replied, his voice hardening at the end, the stress of the war showing itself more clearly. He wasn't pleased when his council determined that particular bit of news.
"But, Father-"
"Weiss, that's enough. The Scarlatina Princess is going to arrive tomorrow. You're going to marry that girl, and you'll have to try to keep it pleasant." He interrupted her. Her arguments were the same as they were a week ago, a month ago, and ever since the treaty had been signed.
Her face stoic, Weiss stood, excused herself and left the room at a brisk pace. Clearly her father wasn't thinking about her happiness. She shouldn't be surprised, really, he had a kingdom to run, people to please, and a war to fight. His second daughter's happiness was far from his mind.
As one would expect from rushing through a castle, it was inevitable that she would eventually stumble into someone. Falling and getting ready to berate whoever had made her fall, she blinked as a hand was presented to her.
"You alright, Weiss?" A sunny, high-pitched voice asked from above her, concerned.
Looking up, Weiss saw red. Red hood, dark red pants and shirt, Ruby Rose was amongst the best fighters in the region, and was currently undertaking the arduous task of protecting her.
"I'm fine, Ruby, just thinking" She took the hand up and dusted herself off, Ruby having learned long ago that Weiss could care for herself.
"Is it the marriage? It's supposed to be in a week, isn't it?" Her concern was evident. Weiss and Ruby had always had a close relationship, some had even thought of them as lovers. They were wrong, but there was no need to change their thoughts on the matter.
Weiss sighed, not wanting to admit it. "In a way, yes. It's not the marriage thing entirely, I've resigned myself to that years ago."
"Then what is it? Is it because it's a she? Or is it because you don't want to marry a Faunus?"
Weiss blinked. Ruby had always been more perceptive then people gave her credit for. It was one of the reasons she was the King's second daughter's bodyguard.
"It's not really surprising. If you, I'd probably be pretty upset!"
"Ruby, please, not here" Glancing around, Weiss grabbed the younger girls hand and led her to her rooms. The privacy afforded there was small, but meaningful enough. Sitting on her bed, Weiss let out a huff of frustration. "It's not… entirely the Faunus thing."
Ruby quirked an eyebrow at that "Entirely? So that's an issue?"
"Of COURSE it's an issue, Ruby! We've been at war for months now, why should I be expected to love or tolerate one of those beasts?"
"Weiss, calm down, it could be worse."
"How? How do you figure marrying some Faunus attempt at royalty in a desperate bid for peace could be worse?"
"Well… it could be Cardin?" the hesitation in her voice was almost palpable "But you said it wasn't entirely the Faunus thing, what did you mean?"
Weiss frowned here, "It's mostly the fact that I don't know her at all. I know most political marriages are like that, but come on. At least most of them had a courtship period." Lying back on her bed, Weiss groaned "Add the fact that we'll probably hate each other on sight, on principle along? I don't have high hopes for this whole thing."
"Weiss…" Ruby looked down toward her, a downtrodden expression on her face. Weiss and Ruby had been close, sisterly even. Seeing Weiss like this made her heart ache for her. "I don't know how much comfort I can offer you, but maybe you won't! The Princess might even be really nice!"
'Or she might be a warmongering beast' Weiss thought to herself. Outwardly she smiled, trying to reassure Ruby "Yeah, maybe…"
"Father says I must do this Adam, you know it as well as I do."
"Velvet, you know that we don't need this! We could crush the humans, easily! This whole marriage thing is a sham!"
Velvet sighed. The Taurus heir had always harbored a bit of a protective streak. His families debt to the Belladonna's, and by extension hers, made them excellent bodyguards. Adam himself was amongst those that truly believed a war of annihilation would be the only way peace was to be achieved. His company on the trip towards the mainland to meet her bride-to-be was an unexpected, last minute addition, but a welcome one nontheless.
"Adam, you know that a longer war would finish us off as well. Mutually assured destruction is a powerful motivation to strive for peace."
"And you know as well as I that-"
"Adam, enough." A sharp voice cut him off. Entering the room, a dark haired beauty steadily made her way to the two. "You know this treaty is important. Looking for more war isn't productive, and you know that."
"My apologies, Blake." Adam deferred to her, as all Taurus would when a Belladonna was there. "However, I must reiterate. This whole marriage thing is a sham, and everyone knows it."
"Be that as it may, it's still an olive branch, and one that the King has chosen to take. Remember, going against the decree is going against royal mandate." Blake responded, ears twitching in annoyance.
"I understand." Bowing, Adam made his exit.
"I wish he'd understand I'm not happy about this either." Velvet sighed. The marriage was going to suck, there was no way around it, but accepting it for what it was would at least lessen some of the pain.
Taking a seat, Blake relaxed. "You know he means well, he's just a bit…"
"Extreme? Yeah, you can say that again." Sitting back, Velvet relaxed, her ears drooping slightly "I wish he'd just stop trying to get me to assassinate the Heiress"
"He WHAT?!" Blake began to stand, but Velvet's quick hand on her arm slowed her down.
"I'm kidding Blake, jeez! Adam's too war hungry, but even he wouldn't stoop that low. He's just trying to get me to call it off."
"You know, as much as we hear you say you're proud of doing everything you can for the Kingdom, how do you feel about this whole thing?"
"I… I don't rightly know. I don't know anything about the heiress, or her land for that matter." Looking out the window to the near endless sea before them, Velvet looked inward. "I mean, I have hopes that she's nice. She'll be proper in public, that's a given considering her status. But in private? I have no idea how she'll decide to treat me. Indifference would probably be the most beneficial."
"I know you always wanted a warmer relationship, someone that loved you, and that you loved back. And I'm sorry that you've lost that, but I hope, for her sake, that she knows she's taking in a wonderful woman."
A smile graced Velvet's face. While compliments from the kingdom were abundant, Blake was still her best friend. A compliment from her was worth millions in her books.
Waiting at the docks as the ship holding her fiancée, Weiss fidgeted. Getting ready had taken a long time, even by her own standards. A form-fitting dress, her best make-up and hair possible, all was part of the image her father wanted to present the envoys. Beauty, grace, elegance. Those words were drilled into her mind since before she even understood what they meant.
Having to greet her guest was not an unusual occurrence, but the fact remained they were Faunus, so security had been increased and civilians that came to gawk at the new arrivals. Dangerous elements had been restrained and plain clothes officers were mingled into the crowd. Protection was paramount and the safety of the Princess top priority.
The ship slowly approached the harbor, making port seconds before they were expected to. Faunus crew quickly began docking procedures, dropping anchor and preparing a ramp down. Very soon a group of 3 people came out of the ships interior, an honor guard was deployed, subtly leading the approaching part towards the Heiress.
Two of the trio were clearly Faunus, a cat and rabbit, both female. One of them was to be her bride. The other, a man, was not clear, but there was a faint gleam coming from the top of his head. Whether they were horns or sunglasses would remain to be seen.
Walking forward, Weiss greeted the arrivals "Good afternoon, Princess. The people of Vale offer you a warm welcome. I'm Weiss Schnee, Heiress of the Schnee Dynasty, with me is my bodyguard, and friend, Ruby Rose."
Bowing, the rabbit Faunus gave her a gentle smile. "It's good to meet you as well, Heiress. I'm Velvet Scarlatina. With me are Blake Belladonna, my assigned guard from our vassal house, and Adam Taurus, our bodyguard."
Weiss had to admit, for having been at sea for so long, the Princess looked radiant. A stylish combination of browns brought out her features, while still maintaining a functionality she envied. Taurus' presence confused her, and it must have shown.
"The Taurus' family have recently sworn fealty to the Belladonna after an incident a few generations past. His presence here is part of that contract."
"Ah, that clears that up. We might, unfortunately, be short a furnished room immediately, however one should become available by later tonight, if it's not too much of an inconvenience." Weiss knew only two rooms had been cleared out, and the addition of this man would be slightly problematic.
"Oh, of course it should be no problem. We'll keep his belongings in Blake's room until his chamber is ready. Now, I apologize for sounding rushed, but we HAVE been cooped up in that ship for a few days, and we'd very much like to stretch our legs a bit."
"Of course, the palace is close enough for a walk back." Waving a few guards over, but Velvet signaled them to stay back for a few seconds, blushing.
"Well, uh, actually, I was… hoping we could walk, y'know, together. Get to know one another before we get married" Her blush was full, but the hesitant, shy smile adorning her face would melt any heart. The rabbit ears slightly drooping on top of her head added a face that made it nigh impossible to say no to.
"O-oh, of… of course. We really should get better acquainted, considering the circumstances." Waving a few guards away, she asked Velvet "Will your companions be coming with us, or will they be making their way to the palace?"
"They'll be accompanying us, if only for their own sake" Looking back at them she raised her voice "But they will be following at a respectful distance, won't they?"
"Of course Princess. I will do my best to keep you and Mistress Schnee safe." Adam replied.
"Whatever you ask, Princess, we will attempt to grant." Blake replied with a slight bow.
Granting them a small smile, she turned back to Weiss and offered her arm "Well, Miss Schnee, shall we?"
With a small, almost imperceptible, smile, Weiss took the offered arm. "We shall"