Renly leaned against the large airship window as Beacon Academy appeared from behind a thick cloak of fog - a massive campus resting just on the edge of a massive cliff. A river flowed next to the school, turning into a waterfall as it ran off the cliff and filled the bay below. Looking down, Renly counted four cargo ships making their way to Beacon's docks. Beyond that, a dense forest sprawled to the edges of his vision.
"First time seeing Beacon?" a young girl's voice snapping Renly out of his observation.
One of the other students had walked up to him. She had a pale, round face filled with freckles and a crown of sunset-orange curls. Her smile invited him to reply, so he did.
"Yeah. First time in Vale, actually. I'm from Mistral."
Her ivy-green eyes widened with interest, "So you're a foreign exchange student? Nice. Welcome to the Kingdom of Vale, then. I'm Desmera Redwyne."
Desmera held out her hand, and Renly gladly accepted. "Renly Baratheon. It's nice to meet you."
"Well, aren't you a long way from home?" Desmera noted, "Do you know anyone here?"
"You're the first person I've met so far, which makes me pretty lucky," Renly answered warmly. A violent red blush came to Desmera's cheeks and her smile turned shy. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea, so he quickly added, "I guess I won't have to worry about making friends while I'm here."
As her face returned to its normal color, Desmera replied, "Right...friends..."
"You attended Signal Academy, right?" Renly asked, "That's the combat school people in Vale usually train at before attending a huntsman academy?"
"Right," Desmera confirmed. "Since you're from Mistral, I'm guessing you went to Sanctum?"
"That's right. To be honest, it kind of feels weird knowing almost everyone else has been training together for the last four years, and I'm the guy no one knows."
Desmera cocked her head to the side, "So, why did you chose to come to Beacon, instead of Haven?"
"Well-"
"Attention passengers, attention passengers!" the automated speakers blared in Renly's ears. "The ship will be landing at Beacon Academy in approximately 5 minutes. Please make sure you're sitting down and strapped in securely."
"I guess that's my cue to leave," Desmera shrugged with an apologetic smile. "I'll see you on the ground."
Renly waved goodbye to her, and they parted ways to their assigned seats.
Renly began doubting his decision to attend Beacon Academy the exact moment he heard Headmaster Professor Arryn passed away in his sleep. He'd spent his whole life listening to Robert go on about what a great teacher Jon Arryn was, how he and his best friend Ned Stark had the time of their lives at Beacon. He'd met Jon Arryn a couple times, mostly when he was too young to remember clearly, but Jon Arryn seemed like a nice, easygoing guy. And Beacon seemed ideal compared to his other options; Stannis had just been promoted to headmaster of Haven Academy so there was no way Renly would be able to stand going there; Shade Academy was on the other side of the world and in the middle of a desert to boot; and Atlas Academy was a frozen tundra under the heavy hand of the Atlesian military. He hadn't chosen to attend Beacon solely because he thought the environment might suit him better.
At Haven, he'd be the headmaster's little brother. At Atlas he'd be the headmaster's best friend's little brother. At Beacon, he could just be Renly.
Now though, he had to deal with Tywin Lannister.
He stood in the middle of the main amphitheater surrounded by unfamiliar faces. The ceiling stretched several stores up, making him feel as though he were trapped in this massive cave, about to be trampled to death by sweaty jocks and history nerds. His eyes scanned the crowd, but he couldn't find any trace of Desmera. He saw many faunus, though; some students with cat tails, some with dog ears, some with bird feathers, antlers, or the scaly skin of reptiles.
Professor Brynden Tully, a gruff-looking fellow with grey-streaked auburn hair, came to the podium to introduce the new headmaster, Professor Tywin Lannister. Professor Lannister's cool, green stare send a shiver down Renly's back.
"I want to make it clear to all of you present, that you did not get here solely on hard work. Many people work hard all their lives and achieve nothing. You are here because you had the intellect, willpower, and cunning to navigate four years of combat school and surpass all your other peers. With that in mind, understand that you have no room for failure here. You've made in this far in honing a variety of important skills and life lessons. Any lessening of your abilities is not only a shame you must carry, but an insult to the teachers and mentors who'd devoted their lives to your training.
You are here for one purpose only - to become the elite force of huntsmen and huntresses that protects our kingdom from the Creatures of Grimm. For years beyond count, the Grimm have terrorized our nations, in an attempt to return mankind to the shadows. They are attracted to our negative emotions; feed on our fear, anger, and sadness. We owe civilization itself to the huntsmen and huntresses who put their lives on the line every day to destroy the Grimm. With the power of Dust, the most potent energy source known to man, they have becomes an elite force for the advancement and preservation of the human species. By channeling the power of aura, they could withstands attacks that would severely injury or kill a normal person. But huntsmen and huntresses are not immortal, nor infallible. There must always be a new generation waiting on the wings to take up the sword of their fallen forebears. You, today, are that new generation.
Your task will never be easy. If you're here for fame and fortune, you're in the wrong place. If you're not prepared, at this very moment, to lay down your lives for the good of the kingdom, you don't deserve to be here. But, if you survive the training gracious bestowed on you by those who came before, you may become what keeps mankind in its rightful place as the masters of nature."
'What an asshole,' Renly thought. He decided to tune out the rest of Professor Lannister's speech and take a measure of his new classmates instead. Among the sea of strangers, he noticed a familiar silhouette, but couldn't quite place it: a girl, taller than most, with broad shoulders and muscular arms. Her long, dirty blonde hair trailed down her back in a neat braid. She turned, letting him see her face, and a rush of relief washed over Renly.
It was Brienne, from Sanctum Academy. For some reason she decided to go to Beacon instead of Haven as well. They hadn't shared many classes together at Sanctum, but he remembered that she was quiet, hardworking, and nice to everyone. He hoped they ended up on the same team, so at least he'd get to spend time with someone he already. He smiled when her eye caught his, and she looked away, blushing and shy.
Oh. He hoped that didn't mean what he thought it meant.
In the corner of his eye he noticed Professor Lannister stepping off stage and Professor Tully taking his place. In contrast to Professor Lannister's coldness, Professor Tully had the demeanor of someone's gruff but lovable uncle. He rattled off a few more minor announcement, before stating, "Your first few nights at Beacon will be spent here, in the amphitheater, before you're first assignment, wherein you'll be assigned to teams. Once you have your teams, you'll be assigned rooms with your teammates."
A few hours later, the amphitheater had turned into a giant slumber party, as hundreds of students stretched out on school-issued sleeping mats in their colorful array of pajamas. Brienne had approached him to say hello and congratulate him on getting into Beacon, but she soon became overwhelmed with shyness and went off somewhere else. Desmera found him through the crowd, now changed into a deep purple pajama set, dragging along another girl. Whereas Desmera was cute like a puppy, her friend was conventionally attractive; doe-like golden-brown eyes, light brown hair that tumbled elegantly down her shoulders, and fine, delicate features.
"Margaery, this is Renly. I met him on the airship earlier today," Desmera introduced them to each other. "Renly, this is Margaery."
"Pleasure to meet you," Renly held out his hand and Margaery accepted it before it had fully reached her.
"The pleasure's all mine," she purred, her eyes half-lidded in what he guessed was suppose to be a seductive look.
Renly wondered how long it would take the women of Beacon to realize he was gay.
"You guys went to Signal together?" he guessed.
"Yup," Desmera answered, "We're cousins, actually. Her dad and my mom are siblings. Her brother's here too, but he ran off somewhere."
"Brother?" Renly was surprised. Had he skipped a grade, or been held back?
"Loras and I are twins," Margaery explained. "He's a few minutes older, but it usually feels like I'm the older sibling. He's probably goofing around somewhere with his friends."
"I think twins run in our family," Desmera piped up. "My older brothers are twins too, but they graduated last year. Do you have any siblings?"
"Two brothers, but they're both way older than me. I was the 'Surprise, you're still fertile!' baby."
Margaery giggled. Desmera asked, "How much older are we talking?"
"Twenty-two and twenty. My nieces and nephews all feel more like siblings than my actual siblings; the eldest is only a year younger than me."
"That must be pretty weird," Margaery nodded. She set herself down in front of him, crosslegged, and flipped her hair over one shoulder.
Renly shrugged, "You get used to it."
"Are there any huntsmen in your family?" Desmera asked, taking a seat next to Margaery. "Pretty much everyone in our family has gone to Signal and Beacon."
"Yeah, I came from a family of huntsmen too. A few of my eldest brother's kids are training at Sanctum right now. I think I'm the first to go to Beacon, though."
A bright red light flashed overhead, so intense it had all three of them squinting. After a moment they could read out a message on the massive holographic screen at the front of the amphitheater: LIGHTS OUT IN 4 MIN, 39 SEC.
"Ugh, great," Margaery rolled her eyes. "We still have to get ready for bed."
Both girls got to their feet. Desmera smiled apologetically, "We gotta go, but it was nice talking to you. Hope we see you at tomorrow's assignment."
"If we do, I'll introduce you to my brother," Margaery promised.
Renly told them goodnight and tucked himself into his sleeping bag. Tomorrow would be a long day.
The first test at Beacon was given to students in groups of twenty and Renly had the fine luck of belonging to the first one. He and others met on the edge of a cliff on school grounds, though not the same one he saw when he first arrived. It overlooked the forest he had seen, which he now knew was called the Emerald Forest. On the ground near the cliff's edge, someone had installed twenty metal platforms, simple square just large enough to stand on. Renly quickly guessed they were somehow involved in the test.
"Renly!"
He turned away from the edge when he heard Margaery call his name. She and Desmera were climbing up the cliff to join him - and so was a really cute boy. He looked like Margaery, only ten times hotter. He had the same golden-brown eyes, but his seemed more alive somehow, more playful. His caramel hair was tied up in a bun, but Renly imagined it would fall his shoulders if he let it down. His body was long and lean, with well-build shoulders and slender hips than Renly just ached to put his hands on.
"I-uh-hi," Renly stammered. He clenched his hands and realized they were sweaty. What was wrong with him? He'd seen plenty of hot guys before.
"Loras, this is Renly," Desmera introduced, "We met him yesterday. Renly, my cousin Loras, Margaery's brother."
"Nice to meet you," Loras held out his hand.
Renly felt a spike of panic, worried that Loras would notice that his hands were sweaty and think he was gross, but he went through the motions of smiling and shaking Loras's hand like nothing was wrong. Loras didn't seem to think anything was out of the ordinary. They made small talk for a while and the whole time Renly kept trying to make he did stare at Loras too much.
The small crowd of students fell dead silent when Professors Lannister and Tully arrived. The students had come before dawn, and the first ray of sunlight nudged shadows into existence.
"Line up on the platforms, one per students," Professor Lannister commanded. They obeyed. He gave another long-winded speech that Renly didn't pay much attention to, but he did catch enough to realized that the assignment involved launching them off the cliff into the Emerald Forest where they'd have to reach an abandoned, ancient temple on its northern end and retrieve several relics. Simple enough.
Professor Tully pulled out a tablet and twenty little drones, each no larger than a shot glass, whizzed around the students' heads. He explained, "These drones will monitor each student to ensure that none of you cheat. Once you're in the forest, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the rest of your time at Beacon; no exchanges."
Okay, piece of cake.
Professor Lannister had lined them up on the platforms in alphabetical order, which meant Renly was second. When the first student, a guy named Alyn Ambrose, flew off into the air with a high-pitched cry, Renly immediately began focusing on using his Semblance - the power to manipulate wind.
As a little kid, he used to think his Semblance was pretty lame, especially in comparison to the Semblances of the people around him. Robert could generate and conduct electricity, while Stannis had the power to physically repel any moving object away from himself. In contrast, Renly's ability to create and control wind had always seemed rather unimpressive. At first he couldn't do much more than create gentle breezes or redirect the wind in another direction. It wasn't until he enrolled at Sanctum, under the guidance of his professors, that Renly strength his Semblance and learned to use it more creatively.
The platform jerked upward and forward with great force, hurling Renly through the air like a toy slung by a toddler, but he had prepared himself for this. He concentrated on generating a strong circular current. The high winds shrieked and spun him around, but Renly maintained his focus to keep himself aloft. He wouldn't be able to keep this up forever, so before he tired himself out and got dizzy, so he quickly scanned the forest beneath him for a safe landing zone. Above him, more screams from the other students rained down on him. Renly noticed a sturdy-looked tree branch several meters below him and decided to take his chances there. Changing the course of the winds, Renly flung himself to the huge tree, landing on both feet and gripping another branch for balance. He drew a deep breath and paused to steady himself.
He noticed a figure in the distance being launched from the cliff, whom he guested was Margaery from the long, flowing brown hair. In midair, the person pulled out a bow and struck a tree with an arrow connected to the long cord. The cord contracted sharply, and the archer disappeared into the foliage.
'Enough staring,' Renly told himself. 'Back to the assignment.'
He went off in search of the temple on his own. He didn't worry about finding a partner; he'd run across someone eventually, and seeing as he tended to get along with others, he wasn't picky.
Despite the urgency, Renly let himself take him the beauty of the Emerald Forest. Back in Mistral he didn't usually venture to the Rainwood because, well, it rained all the time; everything was wet and gross. Here though, the sun shone overhead, dominating a cloudless blue sky. Explosions of colorful wildflowers dotted every spot of land that hadn't been covered under the shade of the canopy leaves. He crossed a deep ravine where two fallen, moss-covered trees formed their own little ecosystem.
So far, he hadn't seen any Grimm, but he expected to soon.
Speak the devil, a boarbatusk emerged from the clearing. These Grimm resembled boars, only they were a hundred times more demonic. The hulking beast stood nearly as tall as Renly. Coarse black fur covered every part of its body that wasn't covered by bone-like plate armor. It sported four long, curved tusks, each longer than Renly's entire forearm, and its four cherry-red eyes gleamed with malice.
Renly barely had time to dodge when boarbatusk charged at him, using his Semblance to propel him further. Before it could turned to attack him again, he took out his weapon. He had kept in its retractable form mounted on a holster on his back, but then unfolded into a broadsword with a golden pommel.
He attacked from behind, knowing a frontal attack would put him in the path of those saber-like tusks. Renly plunged his sword as deeply as he could into the creature's back. It let out an agonized roar loud enough to make Renly's bones rattle, but the fight had ended. Like all Grimm, the boarbatusk left nothing behind as it died. No blood, no body. It disintegrated into dust and blew off with the wind.
Renly kept his sword in hand, in case of another Grimm attack, as he continued making his way through the Emerald Forest. Within a short time, he killed two other boarbatusks, probably friends of the first one.
A scream echoed from a thicket to his right. Renly moved on instinct, arriving just in time to see Loras Tyrell throw a lance into a beowolf. Despite the fatal blow, the lupine Grimm made another attempt to lunge for the young huntsman-in-training. Its death came too soon, however, and it turned to dust before reaching them.
Loras noticed Renly standing there and said, "Hey. Renly, right? I guess we're partners."
It took a moment for Renly's brain to catch up with Loras's words, because it was a little preoccupied with how the fact Loras's hair had gotten loose and flowed almost to his chest like a honey waterfall.
"You okay?" Loras asked.
Renly shook himself out of his reverie, "Yeah, fine...partner." How was he going to handle having Loras Tyrell as a partner for the four years?
Loras picked up his weapon, a lance nearly as long as he was tall. It was silver, with sapphire blue vines and roses twisting around it. "We better get moving, or it'll get dark before we find the temple."
"Right," Renly agreed.
The duo continued going north, but didn't encounter any more Grimm. Still, they kept their weapons out. During this time, Loras mentioned to Renly that his sister and cousin had been talking about him all morning. "What is Mistral like? I've never been outside of Vale, but I want to go out and travel when I become a professional huntsman."
So Renly told him about Sanctum Academy, about the city he'd grown up in and the stormy bay it had been built on; about his friends, his family, his former professors. In return, Loras talked about his two older brothers, Willis and Garlan. Though both of them had graduated from Beacon, Willias had permanently injured his leg on his first mission; he'd been offered a robotic prosthetic to replace it, but Willias opted to retire from being a huntsman instead. Garlan, though, joined the Vale military shortly after graduation and married another solider, Leonette Fossoway.
As the sun hung high in the sky, signalling that noon had arrived, Renly at last saw a tall spire peeking out from the green sea of leaves. "We're almost there!" he explained, pointing to the spire.
"Finally," Loras grinned. They reached a large, circular clearing and on the other side stood the ruins of an ancient building - it had to be the temple.
A high-pitched shriek pierced the silent forest from far up in the air. Loras and Renly looked up and saw a nevermore thrashing wildly in the sky. The giant, bird-like Grimm twirled and spun midair for no apparent reason, occasionally letting on a ear-splitting cry.
Margaery's voice echoed through the trees, "Des, hang on. I'll find a way to get you down!"
"Marg?" Loras called. "Is that Desmera? How the hell did she end up on a damn nevermore?"
His sister came running through the trees, her fingers drawing a Dust-loaded arrow on a emerald green bow, "Long story."
"Where's Desmera?" Renly asked. He looked back to the nevermore, but saw nothing to indicate someone was riding it; Desmera's hair certainly would have been noticeable.
"It's her Semblance," Margaery explained, "She can make herself invisible. Right now she's terrified and can't control it. I can't get a clear shot at the Grimm without the risk of hurting her."
"My Semblance is power over wind, maybe I can get her down," Renly suggested.
"Are you sure that will work?" Loras asked.
Margaery stated, "We have to try something. Renly, get Desmera down. As soon as you do, Loras and I will deal with the Grimm."
Renly climbed to the upper branches of the tallest tree in vicinity to get a better vantage of the situation. The nevermore began headed east, so he created a sudden, strong wind to blow it back toward the clearing. Desmera screamed again as the nevermore changed direction. He worried that her terror would attract more Grimm to the area.
"Desmera," he shouted, "You have to let go. I'll catch you, but you have to trust me."
"Are you out of your mind?!" Desmera cried, "I'll fall and die!"
"You have to calm down and trust that I'll save you, or you'll die anyway."
A tense second passed. Bright red curls and deep purple clothing appeared among the black feathers of the huge avian Grimm.
"Okay Renly, I trust you."
Even as Desmera unclenched her white-knuckled fists from the nevermore's feathers, Renly had already begun forming a small tornado directly beneath her. Margaery send half a dozen arrows into the nevermore as her cousin fell to the earth, each one exploding as it embedded itself in the creature's flesh. Renly's tornado considerably slowed down Desmera's fall, allowing Loras to catch her in his arms.
The nevermore did not die. Margaery's arrows had done nothing but anger it. Renly propelled himself to another tree branch before the Grimm could lunge at him. It knocked down a whole swath of trees as it crashed into the ground, leaving a deep gouge on the dirt as it slid to a stop. Still, it didn't stop. It folded its winds to respositioned itself for a take off.
But Margaery was too fast for it. She launched another arrow, loaded with an explosive Dust cartridge, between the nevermore's upper and lower mandibles, a green light flying into the dark tunnel of its throat. It exploded, leaving nothing but a thick cloud of black dust.
"Glad that's over," Margaery sighed.
After a day spent in the Emerald Forest, Renly and the others were taken to the school infirmary for minor injuries, but were otherwise okay. Desmera was shaken by her experience, but she recovered and thanked the others profusely for saving her.
The next morning the first assignment was over and Professor Lannister summoned all the students into the amphitheater for their grades and team assignments.
"The next team accepted into Beacon: team leader Bryce Caron, Rober Royce, Brienne Tarth, and Emmon Cuy." Professor Lannister announced.
Renly smiled at Brienne as she walked up to the stage to join her new team, side by side with her partner Bryce. Their faces and scores were projected on the screen for everyone to see, and beneath that, one initial spelling out Team BRTE of Beacon.
"The next team accepted into Beacon: team leader Margaery Tyrell, Renly Baratheon, Loras Tyrell, and Desmera Redwyne," Professor Lannister had no emotion in his voice.
Renly walked up to the stage with the rest of his team. The screen spelled out MRLD. He noticed Desmera's sullen expression as their scores appeared on screen; she had one of the lowest in the entire class. Margaery squeezed her cousin's hand encouragingly as they went back to their places.
"Don't take it badly," Loras told her, "It was only your first time fighting Grimm."
"It was for a lot of people," Desmera replied crossly, "but I'm the only one who needed to get rescued."
Renly put a hand on her shoulder, "Maybe, but don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure there'll come a day when you rescue all of us."
The next year at Beacon flashed by them, a hazy of exams and combat training and trying to avoid the headmaster by any means possible. Teams MRLD and BRTE became good friends, due in no small part to the fact that Renly and Brienne already knew each other. They would often study and train together, all eight of them finishing the year with high marks.
Their sophomore year promised to be more exciting - this year, Atlas was hosting the bi-annual Vytal Festival. Renly still remembered how much fun he'd had at the previous Vytal Festival, which had been hosted by Haven. He'd even (briefly) gotten to meet Oberyn Martell, the most famous huntsman hailing from the Kingdom of Vacuo, younger brother to the headmaster of Shade Academy. Renly still felt a shiver when he thought of the gleaming, venomous fangs Oberyn, a snake faunus, revealed when he had smiled at him.
In addition, Renly's eldest niece Mya had decided to follow him to Beacon. She ended up on Team CHRM, with Vale natives Lyn Corbray, Harry Hardyng, and Myranda Royce. Renly though Myranda seemed like a nice person, if a little chatty and inappropriate at times, but he couldn't say the same about his niece's other teammates.
The day after the teams had been announced, Mya came up to him on the verge of tears. Lyn and Harry were disgusted to be on the same team as a faunus and let their opinion be well know. Mya was a mule faunus like her mother, a fact that the large, furry black mule ears on the top of her head made impossible to hide.
Renly got two weeks of detention for instigating a fight with his niece's teammates.
Two months into the new school year, Professor Lannister held a week-long tournament to select which teams would represent Beacon at the Vytal Festival. Teams MRLD and BRTE made it the final four, and Team CHRM to the top eight. When the next semester began, the selected teams didn't return to Beacon from their school break; they would be taking their classes at Atlas for the rest of the year. And to make things ever better, Professor Tully would be supervising them while Professor Lannister stayed behind at Beacon.
Loras complained about the cold the minute the doors of the airship opened. Margaery nudged him in the rib and Desmera hissed at him to shut up.
Renly mentally compared Atlas to Beacon and Haven. Whereas the other two had open campuses built away from the cities, the city of Atlas had been built around the academy. The military base extended from the academy, while government buildings and science laboratories surrounded it on either side. A rather large potion of the academy and city had been built underground. Every building in the area was connected through a series of tunnels, some just below the surface and others almost a mile underground. It made sense, when Renly thought about it, considering how the harsh winters up here might make going outside a pretty unpleasing prospect.
Atlas Academy set Renly on edge because of how conjoined everything was. The school, government, and military were all branches of the same entity. The headmaster, General Eddard Stark, was a senior military official; members of the kingdom's council had a say in how the school was run; after graduating the newly designated huntsmen and huntresses were heavily pressured to joined the Atlesian military. Yet another reason Renly had skipped applying to Atlas Academy.
General Stark greeted them at the gate. His eyes lit up with recognition when he saw Renly and Mya but he didn't say anything in front of the other students. Maybe he thought it would embarrass them. Renly knew that two of his kids, Robb and Sansa, as well as his nephew Jon Stark were students here. Being related to the headmaster must have brought them some unwanted attention.
To his pleasant surprise, most of the students treated them hospitably and with friendliness, albeit with stiff and formal manners. The day after they arrived, General Stark introduced Renly and Mya to his relatives. Robb was as friendly as the other students; Jon also kind but more reserved. Mya and Sansa got on like a house on fire despite their outward differences, most notably how tomboyish Mya was contrasted by Sansa's girliness. General Stark and his entire family were faunus, each of them sporting a pair of wolf ears on their heads. Like their father's, Robb's and Sansa's were grey; Jon's were white. From what he could tell, the fact that another faunus ran the academy seemed to put Mya at ease, perhaps giving her hope that she could expect better treatment here than at Beacon.
Two days after their meeting with the Starks, the students of Haven Academy finally arrived, many of whom Renly recognized from his time at Sanctum. Stannis, as expected, did not come because of his duties as headmaster, instead sending a teacher named Professor Davos Seaworth. Renly spent dinner that night introducing his Beacon friends to his Sanctum friends and helping them get to know each other. Occasionally he tried to get Brienne to join the conversation, but she struggled to overcome her shyness. He eventually decided not to push her, something for which she seemed grateful.
The Shade Academy students arrived last, likely due to that fact that Vacuo was the farthest kingdom from Atlas. It quickly became evident that, most of them having grown up in a scorching desert, Atlas's climate did not suit them at all. The Atlas students tried not to snicker as the Shade students heavily bundled themselves up even when indoors. With an exception.
Daenerys Targaryen. Last scion of the famous (or infamous, depending on who you asked) scion of the Targaryen family after the death of her brother Viserys. The Targaryens were the only knew dragon faunus in the world and had a rare hereditary Semblance: breathing fire. Years ago, Rhaegar Targaryen sparked a war between Mistral and Atlas when he kidnapped General Stark's younger sister, the late Lyanna Stark, and conceived a son with her, Jon Stark. It was the worst conflict in living memory, though not as terrible as the Great War decades earlier. Thousands lay dead in the end, including Rhaegar and Lyanna themselves and most of the Targaryen family. Once the most prominent political family in Mistral, the remaining Targaryens went into exile in Vacuo. Daenerys had only been days old.
Renly knew the story well because not only had his brothers fought in the war, Robert had been Lyanna's fiance. He had wanted to marry her, even though he cheated on her with Mya's mother. And Bella's mother. And Gendry's mother.
No one could miss Daenerys Targaryen, not with her silver-gold hair and amethyst eyes; certainly not with the scaly black wings sprouting from her shoulders. She walked through the frigid air without a shiver, her massive wings folded against her back, and smiled politely to General Stark as he greeted her and the other Shade students, along with their chaperoning professor, Galazza Galare. Renly thought he was hallucinating when he saw the tiny, tan girl standing in the snow wearing only a backless shirt and knee-length pants. Despite her seeming frailty, Renly had the gut feeling to watch out for her during the combat tournament.
Classes at Atlas were even more rigorous and demanding than classes at Beacon. General Stark may have been easier to deal with than Professor Lannister, but the curriculum sure wasn't. Fortunately, the many of the Atlas students were more than happy to tutor their guest classmates. All that schoolwork was without a doubt worth a chance to compete in the Vytal Festival Tournament.
As the weather began to thaw slightly, the people of Atlas set up a massive festival ground south of the city. When the celebration began, class times were cut in half so the students could enjoy the festivities and the tournament participants could squeeze in a little more training before the main event. People from all each of the four kingdoms began flooding into Atlas, and even some people who lived outside the kingdoms showed up in large numbers to brave the cold.
The masterpiece of the Vytal Festival was the Amity Colosseum, a technological marvel that had required the cooperation of all four kingdoms to create. The levitating arena powered by an enormous Dust crystal at its base, the Amity Colosseum moved to which school currently hosted the festival. Whenever Renly saw it from one of Atlas Academy's south-facing windows, he thought of the numerous matches he had watch inside; he could almost hear the deafening crowds and zing of weapons clashing against each other, almost smell the popcorn-heavy air and taste the too-sweet candy Robert bought for him whenever Stannis wasn't looking. The thought of being in the center of the Colosseum, camera broadcasting him to ever screen in Remnant, made his stomach flip in the best way.
Margaery had them training every second they weren't eating or sleeping. Renly went to bed every night sore and exhausted, but he appreciated Margaery for how hard she pushed them. Classes ended for them three days before the tournament began, and they had to make the most of it. At the beginning of their first year, Renly had been a little envious that Margaery became team leader instead of him, but watching her before the tournament he finally got it. She had knack for putting together their greatest strengths and working out how to cover for each other's weaknesses. For instance, she instructed Desmera to stay away from Renly and Loras if she was using her Semblance during a fight because they were primarily melee fighters and could accidentally hit her; Renly admitted he never would have thought of that.
After months of preparation and anticipation, the tournament opened. Airbus pilots began working well before dawn so they'd have enough time to ferry the huge amount of spectators into the arena before the matches were scheduled to begin. General Stark and each chaperon professor gave a speech during the opening ceremony, but they were all wise enough to keep it brief, lest the crowd get restless. The people wanted action.
Renly watched from the crowd, one face among many, as the names of the first two teams flashed on the giants screens high up on the stadium walls:
Team JSPR of Atlas Academy [Jon Stark, Satin Flowers, Patrek Mallister, Robb Stark] V. Team TRQS of Haven Academy [Triston Tally, Jaremy Rykker, Qarl Maid, Sebastion Errol]
Having had a few sparing matches with the Stark cousins and their teammates, Renly wasn't surprised when Team JSPR ran circles around their opponents and knocked each of their opponents out of the ring in succession. Jon and Robb in particular were fantastic partner, both moving in sync like they could read each other's minds.
The next match line up made Renly whistle sharply.
Team CHRM of Beacon Academy [Lyn Corbray, Harry Harydyng, Myranda Royce, Mya Stone] V. Team JSMN of Atlas Academy [Jeyne Poole, Sansa Stark, Meera Reed, Nella Whitetree]
He felt for bad Mya, having to fight her new friends in the very first round. Even worse, Team CHRM fell apart within minutes of the match. Despite the dark glares Renly had been sending them all year over their treatment of Mya, Lyn and Harry preferred to act as though she wasn't there, even in the middle of a fight, which meant their teamwork was practically non-existent. They left each other with gaping wide weak spots that Team JSMN was all to happy to exploit. This fight lasted even shorter than the first.
"Well, isn't that lucky for General Stark?" Margaery noted with a raised eyebrow.
Desmera asked, "What do you mean?"
"The first two matches involve his kids and nephew, and both end in swift victories for the Atlesian team," Margaery noted, "That definitely makes for some good PR."
"The matches are computer-generated to be random," Loras countered.
Margaery shrugged, "Just making an observation."
Renly excused himself to go check on Mya and found her sitting in an empty stairwell with her face in her hands.
"Hey, its okay," Renly said as he sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulder.
Mya flinched, then began furiously wiping her eyes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to cry."
"Crying's fine," Renly reassured her. "You lost, and it feels horrible. I don't think anyone would hold a few tears against you."
He'd been hoping to make her feel better, but his words had the opposite effect. Mya scowled at him with reddish eyes, her mule ears pulled low and flat with anger. "I know I lost, I don't need a reminder!" she snapped.
"Sorry," Renly retracted his touch, sensing it was unwelcome.
"I made a complete joke of myself out there and everyone saw."
"You weren't that bad; you landed a few good hits on - what's her name? - Jeyne Poole."
"Yeah, before Sansa practically knocked me out of the ring," Mya muttered bitterly.
"That was only because Harydyn wasn't watching your back like he was suppose to," Renly argued. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"You know what, Hardyng was suppose to cover me - him and Corbry. But they didn't, and they never will because," Mya touched the tips of her mule eyes, "I'm like this."
"Because they're bigoted assholes," Renly corrected. "You didn't do anything wrong."
She gave him a thin-lipped smile and nodded once, but hurt and shame still painted her face. Renly kissed his niece's forehead.
The first round of the tournament continued for another two days. In that time, Atlas gradually lost its lead, with many of its students getting knocked out of the running, while Shade had done surprisingly well. The public also saw Daenerys Targaryen in action for the first time and she was terrifying. The combination of flight and fire-breathing made her a looming threat over her opponents. It also became clear why she was the leader of Team DMND; she coordinated the movements of her teammates like a master puppeteer pulling on invisible strings.
"Don't think about the crowd," Margaery gave her team one last instruction before they stepped into the arena, "Just focus on the fight."
The ring sat at the bottom of the Colosseum while the seats rose above in an inverted cone, nothing separating them from the wide, wild blue sky above. Team MRLD walked toward the center and the opposing team mirrored their movements from the other side. As with the previous matches, the 150 yard diameter ring had been divided down the middle into two different terrains. On their side, a dense forest forest; on their opponent's side, a shallow sea dotted with rocky, black-sanded islands. Overhead the screen flashed with the names of both teams:
Team AMBR of Haven Academy [Aurane Waters, Marei Hill, Bryen Farring, Robin Peasebury] V. Team MRLD of Beacon Academy [Margaery Tyrell, Renly Baratheon, Loras Tyrell, Desmera Redwyne]
Renly vaguely recognized them, but hadn't know their names until now. Margaery and Aurane met in the middle to shake hands under the watchful eye of a refugee. All eight students then lined up and waited for the countdown. 3...2...1...
Aurane began the fight by charging at Desmera with his cutlass. She blocked him with her trident. They dueled, Desmera gradually gaining ground on him until they were ankle deep in water. Loras tried to engage Marei in a fight but she fled from him into the trees. Before he could go after her, Bryen swung one of two battle axes at him, grazing Loras's face and missing his left eye by a centimeter. Renly jumped to Loras's defense. The two partners faced Bryen's axes as Margaery tried to dodge Robin's flail.
The fight continued, three against four, without either side gaining advantage over the other. Then a Dust bullet hit Desmera in the back, knocking her into the water.
"Go!" Loras screamed at Renly, who instinctively knew he meant to go save Desmera.
Renly went, trying to not feel bad about leaving Loras alone with Bryen. He knocked Aurane away from Desmera's prone body. As he take a stance to protect her, he noticed Margaery trying to fire arrows into the treetops, while running from Robin. Marei, Renly realized as he and Aurane clashed blades. She was AMBR's sniper.
Desmera pulled herself together and stood up, ready to join Renly's fight against Aurane.
"Cover for Margaey, Des," he told her. "I can take him."
Aurane smirked at that. He and Renly kept trading blows. Aurane inched forward on him, forcing Renly into a retreat. He sense the edge of the ring creeping toward his feet. Renly took a chance and pressed his blade hard against Aurane's. As they struggled, Renly slid passed Aurane as swiftly as he could, missing the swing of the cutlass by a hair, and scrambled to his feet. Somehow it had worked. He was on the other side, and Aurane found himself on the defensive. Renly struck as hard and quickly as he could. Aurane lost his footing at last and fell out of the ring.
Renly didn't take any time to celebrate. Just moments later, Robin struck Desmera hard with his flail, sending her flying from the ring. She hit the force field that protected the spectators and fell to face-first onto the ground. Margaery was on her own; Desmera was in a deadlock against Bryen; both looked over their shoulders for Marei's gun. Marei was the biggest threat and Margaery was their best chance of stopping her. Renly jumped between Margaery and Robin. Margaery understood at once. She took off into the forest. His move shook Robin for a moment, but he recovered and swung at flail at Renly.
On the other side of the ring Loras struggled to keep up with Bryen's two axes. Renly noticed that Loras had begun taking blows from the axes, but didn't seemed bothered by it. His heart clenched. Renly hated Loras's Semblance - he could stop himself from feeling pain, which kept him from slowing down in a fight, but he still got injured. They'd have no clue how badly Loras was hurt until the fight ended and he to a doctor. The thought of Loras pushing himself too far because he couldn't feel pain never failed to fill Renly with dread.
He ducked when Robin swung the flail at him again, only this time he dived for Robin's middle and tackled him to the ground. He had to end this fight before Loras got himself killed. The flail flew from Robin's hand, turning the duel into an impromptu wrestling match. Robin was strong, but Renly had the advantage of Baratheon genes. Before long, he hoisted Robin into the air and out of the ring.
The hail of bullets had stopped, Renly dimly realized as he picked him his sword and rushed toward Loras and Bryen. He heard a low grunt behind him but didn't stop to see what it was. He only thought of Loras. Renly used his Semblance to create a strong gust, forming a huge wave that crashed over both Loras and Bryen. Both fell into the water. Renly grabbed the disorientated Bryen by the forearms and flung him from the ring.
He then knelt before Loras, stopping him from getting up, "Don't move. We don't know how badly you're hurt."
"I feel fine," Loras replied cheekily.
Despite his worry, Renly couldn't help but laugh.
Loras, thankfully, didn't face any life-threatening injuries, but he had broken his left wrist and sprained an ankle. Even with their elevated endurance and lowered vulnerability, it had been a brutal fight. When Loras exhausted his aura and couldn't keep up his Semblance anymore, the nurses had to put him under with morphine, he was in so much pain. He slept for almost a day-and-a-half, completely missing Team BRTE's match (they won).
Fortunately, the next round involved two-on-two fights, so Team MRLD didn't have to worry about being disqualified. Unfortunately, Loras had been their best fighter. Nobody said it aloud, but Desmera couldn't keep up with the others in a fight, which left Renly and Margaery to compete together in the next round. That meant with all the practice time, Renly had ever little chance to visit Loras in the hospital. He and Margaery would pop in every night after training, but they were both too exhausted to stay for very long. Instead Desmera stayed faithful by Loras's bedside, watching the festival and tournament from the hospital television and sneaking him sweets whenever the nurses weren't looking.
Once, on their way to visit Loras in the hospital, Renly and Margaery crossed paths with Daenerys Targaryen and two of her teammates, a pale, blond girl named Doreah Lys and a black-haired girl named Irri Najahak, who was a horse faunus. Doreah and Irri nodded politely as they moved past, but Daenerys stopped.
"I'll catch up in a minute," she told them. The girls shrugged and continued on, Irri's tail swishing in time with her long braid. Daenerys smiled shyly at Renly and Margaery. "I'm sorry to hear about your teammate. He was really great out there."
"Thanks," Margaery replied, her tone betraying slight confusion mixed with genuine gratitude.
"It's just that my brother, Viserys, had a similar Semblance, so I've been there," her voice dipped low on the last few words.
"I thought your family Semblance was breathing fire," Margaery noted.
Daenerys explained, "It is, but not every Targaryen is born with it. Viserys wasn't. Anyway, I hope your friend gets better soon."
"We'll let Loras know you said that," Renly promised.
Daenerys gave them another small smile, then went off to join her teammates.
The next day the two-on-two matches began, opening with Sansa Stark and Jeyne Poole getting crushed by Asha Greyjoy and Lorren Longaxe of Team GLDN, upperclassmen from Shade Academy. The young girls took their defeat surprisingly well, happy to have even made it this far in the tournament when they were still first-year students. Her brother and cousin defeated a team from Beacon two days later, and then, to absolutely no one's surprise, Daenerys Targaryen and Missandei Naath advanced to the next round as well.
Margaery and Renly were eventually paired up against Rober and Brienne, to the display of both teams. Despite their friendship, none of the students held back; none of them would have wanted the other two. Margaery and Renly made it the next rounds, while their friends did not. That night they all ate pizza in Loras's hospital room and reminisced about their early days at Beacon.
Renly and Brienne were the last to leave. He offered to walk her back to her room, and she accepted. At the door, she looked at him, blushing dark pink.
"Thanks, I-I just want to you know...I've always...liked you," Brienne confessed, almost panting like she was out of breath. "I mean, liked you. Even back at Sanctum. I just, I don't know, I wanted, I thought you should know. You don't have to, I mean, if you don't like me, like that, um, well."
He knew this was coming eventually, but that didn't make things any less awkward. "We're friends, Brienne, and I would like us to stay friends."
Her lips pulled up into a forced smile, but her eyes showed how utterly devastated she was. Renly hated knowing he had made his friend feel that way.
"Of course, right," Brienne replied in a tight voice.
"It's not you," Renly told her. "I mean that. I just don't like girls, any girls, like that. Just guys."
"Oh." The blush returned to her face. "Did you just come out to me?"
He smiled honestly, "Well, yeah. You're someone I trust."
That seemed to sooth her a bit. She was still clearly unhappy, but not distressed like she had been. It would just take some adjustment and she'd been fine, Renly reasoned.
"Is there someone you do like?" Brienne asked.
Now it was Renly's turn to blush. "You could say that..."
They didn't say another word about it the next day, or the day after. No one else alluded to Renly sexuality and he send Brienne a silent prayer of gratitude for keeping it between them.
Finally, the semi-final rounds arrived; after that a student from each of the qualifying team would face off in one-on-one matches until a winner had been declared. Jon and Robb Stark set a new record for the shortest semi-final round in the history of the Vytal Festival, knocking out a team from Shade so quickly Renly missed half of it while checking an email from Stannis. Asha and Lorren got revenge for their classmates the very next day, when they defeated a team from Atlas nearly as fast.
The match came that Renly had been unconsciously dreading since the day he saw Daenerys Targaryen step of the airship in light clothing entirely unsuited to the cold. She and Margaery met in the middle of the ring, this time half rocky mountainous terrain and half open grassland, and shook hands. Margaery flinched when Daenerys's skin touched her.
"Wow, you're hot," Margaery clenched her hand.
Daenerys smirked, "I know."
Renly looked to the stands, and locked eyes with Loras. Over his hospital-issue sweatshirt and sweatpants, he wore a new green robe with golden accents that Margaery had brought for him. His hair had grown even longer, during his hospital stay still beautiful and soft, curling at the ends. Renly badly wanted to fingers through it, maybe even braid it. He'd have to learn how to braid first, though. Loras's crutches leaned against the armrest of Desmera's seat.
As the match began, Daenerys expanded her massive black wings to their full span; they were even scarier up close.
Losing wasn't the end of the world. They put a good fight, they made it pretty far into the tournament. Margaery hit the showers after their disastrous match against Team DMND, then hit her pillow. She didn't get out of bed for three days. Renly and Desmera alternated bringing her meals, which she picked apart to tiny pieces before actually putting it in her mouth. On the fourth day she finally left her room, but spent the whole time in a dazed silence.
"She's being so melodramatic," Renly complained to Loras one night. Loras was out of the hospital and back in their dorm, Renly sitting on the edge of his bed. "It's not like we won't get another chance in two years. Oh god, please tell me she wouldn't be like for two years."
Loras shrugged, "She's mope for another two days, three tops, but she'll be back to her old self."
"Actually, I'm not sure that's a good thing," Renly quipped.
Normally Loras's didn't like jokes at his little sister's expense, but Renly had always been able to make his laugh. A brief guffaw escaped his lips before he schooled is features in mock disapproval. "Leave her alone. I mean, to be fair, she got the same way after losing a spelling bee when we were seven, but that's just how Margaery is; she can't help it."
Renly put his hands up in surrender, "I take it back. Can't wait for my favorite drill sergeant to return so I got back to being sore I muscles I didn't know I had."
Loras didn't try to stifle his laugh this time, "We are definitely keeping you around after graduation."
"You couldn't rid of my if you tried," Renly boasted.
"But why would I want to?" Loras raised an eyebrow. "You're way to hot to get rid of."
Renly froze. Had he heard Loras right? Was he hallucinating?
"You're not hallucinating," Loras sigh. "Can we just stop pretending we're not into each, because it's getting old." Renly's heart could have burst when Loras took his hand. Suddenly, though, Loras didn't look as confident. "Is this okay?" he asked, almost shy.
"Yeah," Renly answered in a shaky breath. Every nerve in his brain seemed to focus on the sensation of Loras's hand entwined in this.
Loras tightened his hold on Renly, then leaned in until their faces were a hair's breadth apart. "Would it be okay if I kissed you?"
"More than okay," Renly couldn't help but smile.
Appendix
Kingdom of Vale: roughly equivalent to the Riverlands, the Vale, the Reach, and the Westerlands; home to Signal Academy and Beacon Academy.
Kingdom of Mistral: roughly equivalent to the Stormlands and the Crownlands; home to Sanctum Academy and Haven Academy.
Kingdom of Atlas: roughly equivalent to the North and the Lands Beyond the Wall; home to Atlas Academy.
Kingdom of Vacuo: roughly equivalent to the Iron Islands and Dorne; home to Shade Academy.
Team MRLD (emerald) of Beacon: Margaery Tyrell, Renly Baratheon, Loras Tyrell, Desmera Redwyne
Team BRTE (bright) of Beacon: Bryce Caron, Rober Royce, Brienne Tarth, Emmon Cuy
Team CHRM (chrome) of Beacon: Lyn Corbray, Harry Hardyng, Myranda Royce, Mya Stone
Team JSPR (jasper) of Atlas: Jon Stark [wolf faunus], Satin Flowers, Patrek Mallister, Robb Stark [wolf faunus]
Team JSMN (jasmine) of Atlas: Jeyne Poole, Sansa Stark [wolf faunus], Meera Reed, Nella Whitetree
Team DMND (diamond) of Shade: Daenerys Targaryen [dragon faunus], Missandei Naath, Irri Najahak [horse faunus], Doreah Lys
Team GLDN (golden) of Shade: Asha Greyjoy, Lucimore Botley, Daegon Shepherd, Norne Goodbrother
Team AMBR (amber) of Haven: Aurane Waters, Marei Hill, Bryen Farring, Robin Peasebury
Team TRQS (turquoise) of Haven: Triston Tally, Jaremy Rykker, Qarl Maid, Sebastion Errol