Avalon Reborn

A RWBY Fanfiction (now with limited OCs)

Prologue: The Great War/Curse of Crocea Mors

We've all heard the stories of great heroes and their triumphs. Most of them we only recognize to be little more than that: stories, fables created to entertain children and give hope for a brighter future. Others became legends: true facts that have been passed off as myth. The tale of the Four Maidens was one such story. This is where our story begins, when ten young adventurers stumbled upon one such legend in the form of a map…

(Anno Tenebrae 5204, October 13)

"Marron," called a blue-haired woman in her 20's, running up to a table in a run-down shed in the middle of a wooded area. Standing 5' 3", the blue-haired woman's eyes shone a bright green under her navy hood, forest-green hunting tunic-armor, brown belts running across her chest and waist, and strode as quickly as possible while wearing her tattered gray armored pants, teal combat skirt, and steel-toed brown boots. "Terrence, Aidan, Gris, Electro, Frosty! C'mere, you won't believe what I just found."

"Oh no," Terrence Vasilias muttered, rubbing his tan forehead. "Don't tell me you found another hot springs, Azura."

"I wouldn't mind it," Aidan Ferrous said, winking at Azura. "I could use some alone time with Miss Aquaria."

"Well I would," Terrence glared at Aidan. Azura waved her arms furiously in an attempt to get her allies' attentions.

"It's not a hot spring," Azura shouted, glaring at Terrence for starting it all while blushing from Aidan's comment. She pulled out a wrinkled old rolled up piece of paper out of a sachet on her waist and set it on the table. "It's an old map or something."

"A map, eh," Gris Cirrus mumbled, sharpening one of her flint arrows. "Probably some sort of pirate treasure stuffed with booby traps."

"Maybe it's some ancient civilization with pretty lasses," Jupiter Electro predicted, making both Gris and Azura roll their eyes.

"I doubt it at the highest level," Arctico Schnee muttered loudly. "If it were, the civilization would be long-gone by now. And being right between the four kingdoms, the village might've been absorbed or destroyed. I'm skeptical about this being anything other than some treasure map or something of the sort."

"There's only one way to find out," Marron Arc, one of the few master pathfinders and ancient map readers in his time, said before unrolling the old map. He found inscriptions on the bottom right-hand corner of the wrinkled paper. "'Anno Domini MCCCXXXV June IV'. This is the Forgotten Language of the Ancients. Guys, this is incredible. This map is well preserved for its age. Azura, where'd you even find this?"

"I think it was in this armored skeleton's bag, in some old cave," Azura remembered.

"Hold the horses," Aidan shouted. "You just said a bunch of gibberish to me. What the Hell does any of that even mean?"

"Anno Domini was a way of saying their religion and status," Marron explained, getting giddy. "It means 'the Year of the Lord,' and was usually used by Christian knights. MCCCXXXV was their numerical system, and basically means 1335. June is July, and… basically, it's the date. This was pre-gunpowder age, even before the Grimm even existed. The Fourth of July, 1335 Common Era. Oh my Iunia, this is incredible."

"That's nice and all, but what does any of that mean," Jupiter deadpanned. Marron glared at the toga-wearing man named after one of the Roman gods.

"This map is about 4000 years old, if not more," Marron returned. He then turned his attention to the map. "Okay buddy, where do you lead?" He pulled out a second map, this one modern and clear, and set it over the map and arranged it until the features aligned. The Arc took out a pen and marked down each of the marked points of the old map on his modern one. He marked their location on the map and traced routes to each new point.

"Hey, what about the red 'X'," Arctico pointed on the old map. Marron swatted his hand away and circled it on his map, drawing out a route to the circle.

"I was getting to it, Frosty," Marron grumbled. Arctico glared at Marron, turning red at the ears.

"For the last time," Arctico yelled at Marron. "Stop calling me Frosty!"

"Well, it's only because your Aura is Ice-elemental," Azura giggled. This didn't help.

"Oh really," Schnee returned. "Then why don't I call you Fishy, Terrence the Stone, Aidan Hot-Head, Jupiter… okay, his nickname is his name, Gris Cloudface, and Marron Worthless?"

"Call me worthless one more time," Marron growled. "I dare you. See what happens."

"What're you gonna do to me, worthless? Write on me?" Barely a second passed before Marron had punched the heir to the Schnee Dust Mining Corporation through the shack door. Marron's bear fist reverted back to its human equivalent as his Semblance's power died down.

"Test me, and I'll write on your gravestone," Marron threatened. His attention returned to the map on the small table. "Alright, I've found the spot. We should head due West for about a kilometer, then North for three kilometers followed by Northeast for six. We'll stop there before it gets dark, knowing the Grimm, terrain, and our luck. Tomorrow, we can try for the last ten kilometers East—."

"Why can't we just go in a straight line instead of in some funky spiral wannabe," Gris demanded.

"We're surrounded by mountains on all sides but due West. This is the quickest way I know."

"Okay then, we should head out as soon as we're ready," Azura said excitedly as she grabbed her exploration gear. "I just can't wait! We're going to be the first to explore some 4000 year old ruins from an old era."

"Sorry about calling you all that," Arctico apologized. "I just wanted to prove a point. I really didn't expect a serious reaction, and I certainly did not expect to get punched through a wall."

"Well now that you apologized, we're even," Marron joked. "Seriously though, I do understand. You did go overboard, though."

The next day…

"Packing took too long last night," Marron said, nowhere near pleased at the moment. "I'm looking at you two, Azura, Arctico. And don't even say you weren't involved, Terrence."

"Hey, you never know what might happen," Azura said with a bit too much energy. "Besides, I was just all sorts of excited yesterday. I couldn't help it."

"I agree with Azura," the Schnee said with a smirk. "Although, watching her and Terrence argue and fight all night last night was rather amusing."

"And to think," Terrence grumbled, covering his left eye so as to hide his bruises. "All that mess started with me saying to pack lightly."

"Aw, shut your yap," Azura snapped at Terrence. "You were spoiling the fun. Besides, you really can't go wrong with a little team exploration."

"I can think of at least three things that can go wrong off the top of my head right now," Terrence argued. "Grimm attack, trap, and raiders. And don't forget all the natural dangers like an avalanche, mudslide, sinkhole, and all that business."

"Stop reminding me how bad walking can be," Gris growled as she caught Aidan when he tripped on a tree root.

"So," Azura trailed off. "Are we there yet?" Marron groaned.

"Not by a long shot," the Arc said from the front. "We literally just started walking not even thirty minutes ago. My guess is that at this rate, we'll get there about two or three days from now. It'll be a miracle if we get there tomorrow, impossible if we get there today."

"And who are these guys walking with us," Aidan asked. Arctico blushed slightly from his position behind one of the nearby villagers. "I mean, sure they may know the area a lot better than we do, but they're also complete strangers."

"I honestly don't care," Arctico said, catching up to one of the young women his age. "I'll take all the help I can get."

"You mean you see a benefit from this little trip from our hideout, do you," Aidan teased. Arctico looked back at Aidan with an ice-cold stare.

"Are you implying that I was in this only for the women," Arctico demanded. Aidan nodded, cackling the whole way. "If that's the case, then you're wrong. I'll leave leading the Mining Corp to my brother Wilbur; honestly, I enjoy finding new treasures and artifacts. It's far more entertaining than sitting at some wooden desk reading and signing papers all day. Besides, Wilbur is more oriented to the business side of life, whereas I, on the other hand, am more geared to experience what the gods have put before us. And that may or may not include beautiful women such as this one." The priest's assistant blushed and giggled as she wrapped her arms around one of his.

"You are such a flirt," Gris grumbled at Arctico. She felt Aidan wrap an arm around her shoulders, and turned her head to see him grinning smugly at her. "And what are you planning now?"

"Nothing," Aidan said. "But you might want to look a little more carefully."

"And what's that supposed to—," she began before being cut off by a swinging spike trap activating and flying right at her… only to be burned to ashes almost instantly as Aidan's Fire-elemental Aura wrapped around both of them. She was breathing heavily from fear, having seen her life flash before her eyes.

"Spike traps," he noticed. His eyes flittered from tree to tree. "There's about fifty in total. Watch where you step; I can't protect everyone, and I can't burn 'em all. Wait here while I scorch us a trap-less path."

Two traps activated right in front of Marron, which were both incinerated before the spikes could touch him. Hundreds more traps were incinerated in a similar fashion along a single path. After a brief pause, the twelve-manned team continued their journey along the new path.

(17 years ago, Anno Tenebrae 5227, 3 months after Spring Equinox)

"So there we were," Marron told his nine children. "We broke into a clearing with massive ruins. In the center of it all, there stood a massive stone monument in front of this giant tower. At the base of the monument laid Crocea Mors and seven rare gems: amber, topaz, diamond, opal, quartz, emerald, and one of the biggest pearls I'd ever seen. Each one looked like it was fashioned to go on either the pommel or the guard of a sword.

"I picked up Crocea without thinking about it, and then I looked up to read the inscription: 'Timor facit virtus,' and et cetera. The rest read that those gems were exactly what they looked like, and said that those of great virtue will build great swords matching the elemental natures of those jewels, resurrect a great Light, and conquer the Darkness that threatens the world. I saw several scrapped swords in a pile scattered around the sides of the monument."

"Did anyone ever do that," asked Pearl, Marron's nine-year-old daughter. The 45-year-old Arc laughed and shook his head.

"Well, no one's succeeded so far, but your father and his six trusty explorer friends certainly gave it their best shot," Marron said, taking his 3-month-old son in his arms as his wife Violet (A/N: Marron and Violet are French, so the 'n' is more nasal and the 'et' sounds more like an 'a') came to sit down with him. "Maybe one or all of you could do it, if you put yourselves up to it."

His oldest son Topaz rolled his eyes and gave a small 'humph'.

"So you found some gemstones," Topaz Arc grumbled. "So what? It's not like they'll do much of anything. Even if they are somehow 'blessed' or whatever, there's about ten thousand Grimm for every person on Remnant. Besides, there's always going to be some kind of evil in the world; if one falls, another will just come up to replace it. It's an endless cycle of good versus evil."

With that, Topaz got up and left the room before Marron could say anything. The father sighed, knowing his son wouldn't listen. He turned to face his daughters, but they had already gotten up to do their homework or help Arctico's wife in the kitchen baking brownies.

"Seems like either they're uninterested or they simply don't care," Terrence observed. Marron nodded, detesting the ignorance that modern technology and Dust has given the next generation. "Look, maybe the next generation of Knights just isn't in this world yet. And even if it is, who's to say that it is in one of our families."

"He has a point, you know," Arctico added. "Also, Jupiter, Aidan, and Gris are all out there training new students and looking for potential Knights. If anyone will find them, it's those three."

"I know," Marron sighed. He remembered hearing the news that Azura had settled down in a small village and began looking, but hadn't heard from her since. Word eventually came that she'd had a daughter before dying fighting a Grimm infestation near her home. Apparently, some people had heard about the new Brotherhood defending legends that proved to be true and wanted to destroy them, perhaps to hide the legends, perhaps to destroy them or even take them for misguided purposes. Aidan and Gris had already been attacked by mercenaries, and Jupiter had almost died from an assassination attempt; Azura was assumed KIA from one of the assassination attempts due to her skill with fighting Grimm. Arctico hid from the public eye and became nonexistent so at least one member of the Brotherhood would survive and keep the organization alive.

"Remember, Marron," Terrence rested his hand on the Arc's shoulder. "This next generation is one of promise, now that the Great War has ended and Liberty has been reinstated as a way of life. Perhaps a new way of thinking is necessary to keep this world safe."

"What do you mean, Terrence," Marron asked. Terrence shrugged.

"I mean that perhaps modernity is the way to keep legends alive, perhaps even create new ones. Of course the Seven Seekers has made their name in the books, but maybe it's time to take a step back, show our replacements the way we took and let them find new ways to do what we've been doing for twenty-odd years now. After all, you could be holding the future in your hands as we speak, in the most literal sense."

Marron understood what he was saying and looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms. He wondered if he was right, that the future of Humans, Faunus, and Life itself, had only begun his little journey. That the tiny heart beating in his infant son's chest was the Heart of Courage he had been searching for all along. The father smiled at the youth in his arms as bright blue eyes revealed themselves from behind sleeping eyelids.

"You're right," Marron said softly so as to not scare his son. "Maybe this old explorer has taken a bit too long on his trip." He brought his son's forehead to his lips and planted a kiss on his son's little head, earning him a small coo of love before the infant realized it was hungry once more. "Perhaps you are the key to the future, little one."

Jaune Arc's story was about to be placed in his own tiny hands. For now though, he needed a mighty hand from those who were stronger like his father Marron Arc. His journey, no matter how delicate, had just begun.

End

A/N: Damnation that was powerful. In case anyone's wondering, Anno Tenebrae means Year of Darkness in Latin. Latin is the 'Forgotten Language of the Ancients', more on that in a later chapter. I think I could get away with writing an actual book based on this here fanfiction.

I'm currently going through Writer's Block on AOOA (All for One, One for All). If anyone has any ideas for that, let me know and I'll try to implement that into the story. Also, if anyone has an idea for an impossible crime to solve, tell me that so I can get the gears turning for my eBook series, C.I. Oakwood (formerly C.I. Sherlock). Other than that, I'll see you all later. Texas, out.