"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
Despite its name, the Evergreen Forest would hardly be described as green in any sense of the word by those passing through. Years of strife and warfare had leveled most of the woodland leaving mainly shrubs and fallen tree trunks. What's more, it was a fertile breeding ground for the vilest of grimm-spawn including ursae, beowolves, and the occasional willow wisp. Thus her master's insistence on traveling through this decaying land caused Miss Vivian Nimue to wonder:
"Are we lost?"
He chuckled softly. "Now what makes you say that child?"
She turned to face him bearing a look of mild frustration. "Perhaps it was you shoving me into this cart without giving me an inkling as to where we were headed. Or maybe, it might be countless times you've had to ask a passerby for directions to the nearest inn." She folded her arms across her chest. "So if you'll not tell me where we're headed, I'll ask again. Are we lost?"
He smiled, lightly patting her on the head. "You focus far too much on the destination my dear. It's not about where we're headed, but what we find on the way." He pulled on the reins ever so slightly letting the horses slow to a halt. "You mustn't rush your way through life" he stood up taking a deep breath "sometimes it's important to just bask in the beauty of it all."
She glared at him unimpressed. "So then we are lost…" she muttered under her breath.
Throughout her years under his tutelage, Vivian had come to realize that Mereddin Wilt was not the most well put together fellow. He had his eccentricities as did all men but there was something off about him. At times it seemed as though Mereddin inhabited his own little fantasy world far removed from reality. At the very least he saw the world through a very different set of eyes than most. However, even Vivian had to admit that Mereddin's unique worldview also gave him a certain ingenuity that others simply lacked. He hadn't attained the rank of Cardinal by accident after all. Thus, she had grown to respect and even admire his little quirks though only so far. A girl had her limits after all.
"At the very least, could we have something to eat?" she asked clutching her growling stomach.
"Capital idea!" he exclaimed lowering himself to the ground "I'm sure there's some nuts or berries around here somewhere." She groaned in exasperation wondering how he could be so careless as to forget to pack food rations. Mereddin paid her no mind as he reached through shrubs and bushes grasping for anything that might be edible. Within minutes, he had gathered an assortment of leaves, twigs, and a walnut or two.
"Well that's not very appetizing at all now is it?" he remarked staring into his palms.
"Not much choice is there?" she replied taking a leaf to her mouth. However, in the corner of her eye she spotted two apples hanging in a bush. She spat out the leaf and beckoned to her master "what about that apple bush over there?"
He stared quizzically at the bush as his apprentice approached the glowing red orbs. "How strange, I've only ever known apples to grow from trees" he remarked to himself before the realization dawned upon him.
"Vivian!" he bellowed out reaching into the back compartment of the cart "move away from there at once!"
It was too late; the ursa had emerged, lunging its massive paws at the young girl. She jumped back, barely avoiding the beast as she struggled to regain her footing. The ursa swiped overhead, shredding the hood of her cloak but once again she was otherwise unhurt. However, the force of the strike was enough to knock her off her feet. There she lay at the mercy of the massive grimm-spawn, her heart pounding as the monster stood up, preparing for the final strike. Suddenly, a brilliant shimmer of light blasted straight through its abdomen, ending the creature's rampage permanently. She turned to see her master staff in hand with a rare look of determination on his face.
"Are you alright my dear?"
She sighed in relief. "Yes thank you I- master behind you!"
He turned as two more ursae emerged from the shrubbery, their eyes ruby red with bloodlust. He stood firm turning back to his apprentice and nodding slightly. She stood up and readied herself, reaching for her elm wood wand. In an instant, a blinding flash of light illuminated the surrounding area, the ursae yelping out a howl of pain. As the light dissipated, all that remained were the lifeless carcasses of the grimm-spawn. They stood alert for a minute or two awaiting the next raid but none came. Relieved, Vivian sat down replacing her wand in its sheath. Mereddin knelt over to the dead ursae closely examining their lifeless bodies.
"How curious…"
She turned to him panting heavily.
"We were…almost mauled…and that's all…you have to say?" she replied in disbelief.
He paid her no mind, running his fingers through the ursa's fur. "The ursae don't hunt in packs, it doesn't suit their solitary lifestyle" he remarked while noticing a small hairless patch on the ursa's forehead. "Only tamed will the ursa attack en masse."
"But no man…can tame the grimm…they are mindless beasts"
"Aye, it was no man" he replied tracing the outline of the symbol carved into the ursa's head.
"It was a fay…"
Author's Note: I own nothing. Also this is where I would normally answer questions readers may have but this is the first chapter so I'll ask the questions myself. Yes? Yes.
Q: How do you pronounce the title?
A: Avalon, which if you know your mythology should be a big clue as to where this story is headed.
Q: So what is this story about?
A: I thought of the idea back when Episode 1 of Volume 2 when Emerald mentioned Third Crusade to Tukson. I wondered if that book held any significance tot he story and the idea just sprang from there. So yeah think of it as like the mythology within the RWBY world.
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to submit your questions. New chapters every Thursday, bye-bye!