Chapter 1
Warning: This story will have loads of twists! This is my first fic with romance, so hopefully that goes well. Hope you enjoy reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. It belongs to Rooster Teeth.
~-WR-~
"Take that, monster!" President Weiss Schnee, of the Schnee Universal Dust Corporation, formerly the SDC, scribbled her name for the two-thousand, nine hundred and forty-sixth time. It was an elegant scribble.
As she finished that, she relaxed her shoulders and paused to look out her window. Before her was a majestic waterfall, seemingly defying the laws of nature to deliver a beautiful torrent of water in the frigid land of Atlas. Weiss took a brief break to reminisce.
A lot can happen in ten years. We lost so many people, but gained so much. Salem was defeated with Jaune's own blade, who then discovered his destiny as the King of Vale. Weiss finally stood up to her father and took back the reigns to the SDC. She also worked up the courage to ask for Ruby's hand in marriage. Blake, through hard work and perseverance and Yang by her side, was able to take back the White Fang and reform in her vision. Equality for humans and faunus has finally been achieved. The world, all of Remnant, was finally perfect.
Weiss glanced at a nearby clock to see that it was just past five, "Drat, I'm late! Ruby is going to be so upset!"
She quickly packed up her belongings and rushed out of her office. She sped down the hallway, ignoring the panicked looks on her staff as her time dilation pushed her to speeds to nearly rival Ruby.
Weiss whirled past another butler before opening the door to see Ruby sitting on the windowsill. The president sighed in relief as she looked upon her wife.
The years had been kind to Ruby; she looked not a day past twenty. The reaper, wearing her signature cloak even in their bedroom, noticed Weiss and opened her lips, "Hey Weiss."
"Good evening, you dolt," Weiss smiled back, "What are you doing by the window?"
"Nothing, just looking out at the wide world. Come on, why can't we go on a trip, just you and me? We can travel the countryside, take a look at the beautiful scenery, maybe hunt some Grimm along the way…" she held her arms out wide, as if basking in the sunset.
Weiss' smile faltered, "You know we can't. I'm too busy here, we have so much to do, especially since the other dunce," she motioned in the general direction of Vale, "Needs about fifty thousand tons of Dust every week for his grand project."
Ruby giggled, "Come on, you know he's probably just building a floating statue of us all, right?"
"Yes, he'd meticulously plan each of us out, then forget to put himself in and not realize until the last moment. But I still mean it. I'm needed here," Weiss took Ruby's hand in her own.
Ruby put her head on Weiss' shoulder and interlaced their fingers, "It's okay Weiss, as long as I got you."
"And I you," Weiss replied. She felt content.
~-WR-~
Five years ago…
The war was over, they had won, and the world was saved. Blake had reformed the White Fang, Jaune was crowned king of Vale, Yang was on speaking terms with her bandit queen mother, Salem and Cinder were dead, and the kingdoms have begun reconstruction. Jaune even found a way to bring Pyrrha back. All was good.
So why did Weiss feel so empty? She rubbed the old ring in her pocket.
Someone was missing from her life. That had to be it.
She walked down the hallways of Atlas Academy, which was eerily quiet.
Who was missing?
Weiss felt a pit in her gut that wouldn't go away. It was worsening and worsening and—
"Hey Weiss? Are you okay?" Weiss heard the voice of an angel. She turned around to see her beautiful partner looking at her.
In an instant, Weiss recalled the fun times she shared with her sweet rose, the times they fought side by side, the jokes, mayhem, pranks, the lunch and dinners they shared, their first kiss, and their second, and third…
Suddenly the world didn't feel so empty anymore. She felt content.
Another feeling welled up inside her. It was courage. She was done beating around the bush. Times were changing, the world was healing. It wasn't a time to be feeling lonely. It was time to live life to its fullest.
She pulled out Winter's old ring and knelt down on the floor in front of Ruby. With flourish and heart, Weiss began, "W-will y-you you…?"
Weiss took a deep breath, "Ruby Rose, will you marry me?!"
Ruby smiled and began giggling at Weiss' flustering, "Oh Weiss!"
~-BB-~
Far away, on the other side of the world, was the continent of Anima, home to the kingdom of Mistral, and in recent years, the home base to the White Fang. The base was a veritable fortress, a reminder of the war and the organization's past as terroristic rebels. It was four stories high of reinforced concrete and steel, and five stories underground of training facilities, armories, living quarters, and administration.
Inside the labyrinthine compound, whose banner motto read: "Where Equality is Born", was Blake Belladonna.
Next to her was Yang Xiao Long, who had her adorable cat-eared girlfriend in a headlock, "Noogie noogie noogie," she said while actually noogying Blake between the ears.
"YANG! Let me go!" Blake shouted.
"But you're so cute when you're trapped. Like a little kitty in a box!"
"It was one time!" Blake cried while she desperately tried pushing out of Yang's grasp.
Yang snorted, pushing Blake's head down and lifting her chin up. Still struggling, Blake began flailing her arms. She stopped as Yang's lips brushed against hers, the two of them melting into each other.
"Mmm, you taste like strawberries, kitty," Yang laughed above Blake. She eventually loosening her vice grip around her girlfriend's head.
Blake pushed out of Yang's arms and laid her head down on her lap, "I had a strawberry sunrise a bit back."
"Aw, and you didn't share? No fair!" Yang pouted as Blake laughed.
"Someone'll drop one off for you soon. But, I've got to go," Blake said, giving the blonde brawler a peck on the cheek.
"Seriously? You're just as bad as Weiss," Yang pouted again, this time for real.
"But you love me, not her, right?" it was Blake's turn to pout.
Yang giggled, "Of course. I didn't have a choice," she drew her faunus girlfriend in for a hug, "You're just so likeable, Blakey."
"Good," Blake smiled, "I'll see you after I deal with whatever mess there is today."
"Okay. Love you!" Yang cried out.
Blake kept grinning, "I know. Love you, too!"
Blake got off the floor and exited Yang's room. She closed the door and began walking to her work.
As leader of the reformed White Fang, it was Blake's job to be the face for the organization, to spread the message of equality to all. There were also administrative tasks that required a lot of paperwork, but Blake pushed the thought of them out of her mind.
She sighed and leaned against the wall in front of her office. Yang lost a lot in the past decade. Her mother, father, uncle—Blake shook her head. There was no point in thinking about that. But she was still happy that Yang was fine.
If it wasn't for Blake, Yang would have been too far gone, honestly, it was lucky that she was able to knock some sense into the Blonde. Blake got off the wall and walked back to her office, then, she had to go deal with an angry mob. Some people just couldn't handle change.
~-BB-~
Five years ago…
It was over. Yang kept weeping, the tears wouldn't stop. She laid over the cold bodies of Qrow and Raven Branwen, each of them slashed horrifically. They couldn't handle the monster who did this to them. The last remnants of the old White Fang.
The fires in the room slowly put themselves out, with nothing left to burn. Blake stood there, her weapons held up. She cried too. She tried to protect Yang, but it just made things worse. She wasn't strong enough, she couldn't control her new powers enough. Now, only Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were left for Yang.
Blake sheathed her sword. She steadied herself. It was time. Weiss and Ruby were halfway across the world, fighting the Grimm and Salem. Blake took a deep breath. The power of summer maiden inside her quieted down, enough so that Blake wouldn't accidently hurt Yang.
The faunus took a step forward. Then another. Eventually, she was behind Yang's crying form. A breath, an inhale. She crouched down, then quietly, she reached around and gave Yang a hug.
"It's going to be okay, Yang."
~-JA-~
Vale has changed the most of the four kingdoms. It was no longer a ruined city overrun by Grimm and terrorists, but an economic and trading powerhouse with a thriving and bustling population. In recent years, it had accelerated research and development to become neck-in-neck with Atlas in the technological race.
Beacon Academy was rebuilt, the CCT tower even larger and more grandiose, as it was now the hub for all communications around the world. Not only that, but the city's defences and walls were rebuilt, with floating garrisons ready to destroy any enemy that entered Vale's perimeter.
And who was to be thanked? None other than King Jaune Arc.
During the Second Great War, Jaune Arc played an instrumental role. At the tender age of eighteen, he discovered his semblance, The Gamer. Combined with his prowess for tactics, he was able to command an army to defeat the old White Fang and kill its leader, then travel with Team RWBY to defeat Salem's minions, hunt down the four maidens and relics, then travel to the Grimmlands to defeat Salem by himself.
At that was only the first three years. Right afterwards, at the commemoration ceremony, the last surviving member of the Vale Council noticed Jaune's sword, Crocea Mors. The councillor immediately connected the heirloom to the last will and testament of the final King of Vale.
One genetic test later, and Jaune was officially a prince. The last councillor was old, too old to prepare for a new council. However, there were protocols in place for the reestablishment of the monarchy without the Council's help.
A war hero, slayer of the dreaded Queen of Grimm, commander of the Valean army, by that point there wasn't really a reason not to make him King, except for maybe democracy. Well, Jaune could disband the monarchy any time, but it was probably best to fix up Vale before he did that.
And so it was, with help from the other kingdoms, importation of Dust from Atlas, and a revitalized morale, Vale was quickly able to return to its former glory and reach new heights. Jaune's level 67 in construction certainly helped as well.
Now here he was, in a repurposed dungeon cell from an age long past. In front of him was a ring, ten feet in diameter, made of silver. It was suspended a foot above the ground, the opening perpendicular to the floor. On its edge were ancient symbols from an era forgotten to history, but not Jaune. He was able to locate ancient tomes that were deciphered with the help of the greatest minds. The tomes told of ancient experiments to travel to other worlds.
Sapphire orbs glistened below a waterfall of gold, surrounded by toughened skin. The man's features were hardened from war, his body rippled with muscle tempered by the worst conditions on the planet. He was clean shaven, all the better to show his chiseled chin.
Jaune Arc, King of Vale, stood tall and proud. He wore steel gold-plated armor covering his chest, arms, and legs. By his side was Crocea Mors and its sheathe, upgraded for the second time. He never felt the need to wear anything that denoted his royalty, for he was too well known already.
A quick hand wave signalled a researcher in a back room to activate the ring. A tense silent moment gave way to a spark appearing out of nowhere in the ring's center. The spark grew, becoming a turquoise tear in the world itself. A grin appeared on Jaune.
Flashes of light began appearing around the room, and wind began rushing out of the hole of reality. His smile widened, and eventually gave way to a hearty laugh, before he adopted a ready stance.
His thoughts turned to the red-haired woman living in the tower above him. Saving one Pyrrha wasn't going to be enough. No, if he had his way, every single Pyrrha doomed to die was going to be saved, or his name wasn't Jaune Arc!
Jaune Arc
Title: King of Vale
Class: The Gamer
Level 984
One assistant was already lost, but now with safety precautions, he himself and one other prepared brave soul would take the plunge. He was ready now.
The crack in the universe tore open, widening until it filled up the entire ring. The wind stabilized and the room was bathed in a cool blue glow. Jaune looked to his assistant, who nodded back. The two of them walked up to spinning portal and walked right in.