Hello guys! My name is Stray Pen and I am new to Fanfiction. Been a big fan of RWBY fandom for quite some time and finally got enough courage to try writing a story of my own.

Any reviews and feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Jaune Arc lived a pretty normal life.

Sure, growing up in the house with seven sisters, each with her own issues and quirks, was far from the usual picture of an average family but, other than that little bit, he was pretty sure his life was mostly normal. He went to school (non-combat, unfortunately), had the same hobbies as most of the people his age (those who weren't training to become awesome Hunters, that is) and dated girls. Well, he tried to. He never could find anyone who could agree to go with him on a second date. Not that he did anything wrong - no matter what Olivia said - it was just that his family often ruined his first date.

Jaune loved his family. And he knew that they would never hurt or humiliate him on purpose - except for Lila, but that was another story. It was just that their caring and overprotective nature, coupled with the general consensus in the family that he simply couldn't make the right decision without someone helping him, almost always led to pretty embarrassing situations for him and, what's more importantly, the girl he asked out.

However, he was pretty sure most guys went through the same stuff. Which brings him back to his point: He was nothing special.

Unlike Huntsmen and Huntresses.

They were great heroes. Those who fought against the Darkness. Champions of Light. As a child, Jaune often fell asleep to his mother's tales of how the Arc family was the line of great warriors like from fairy tales. Fighting against the Grimm. Protecting the weak. Jaune used to picture himself in such stories. And yet... It seemed that he could play any role but the one in need of rescue.

While there were a lot of people who were trained even before combat schools, there were still those who started the path only from those. Jaune was looking forward to joining one as well, constantly hinting - rather subtly, he would say - that he wanted to be a Hunstman. He spent days and nights dreaming of making his own weapon and learning how to wield it. He spend every waking second imagining the moment he started his path towards the new life.

And yet...

It all wasn't meant to be. Not as long as his parents had a say in it. No matter how big his drive or potential was, he couldn't attend without his parents' or guardian's permission. That's why, at the age of thirteen, as he held the piece of paper - one single signature away from his dream - all he could do was fight back the tears and helplessly ask why. Why did they deny him this chance?

Why couldn't they understand how important it was to him? His father started talking about all the dangers and risks that never made it into the nighttime stories and Saturday cartoons. The loss. The suffering. The despair. The Death... But he refused to listen. He only shouted how much he hated them and ran into his room.

It took several weeks for him to get over the childish dream and try to move on.

At least, that's what his family thought. While it was hardly anything to be proud of, Jaune learnt how to keep his little secrets. His plans and ideas for making his way. He couldn't fake the signature. Not without getting caught. The only combat school close enough to them was Patch, far and far away from home. Not exactly something he could lie about.

Watching his father wasn't an option either. He would quickly catch on someone watching him and figure it all out. If he asked anyone from the few local Huntsmen or Huntresses, there would be little time before they told his mother about it. For someone who wasn't technically a Huntress, she had a surprisingly great deal of respect - and feear - from everyone in their hometown.

So there was only one thing to do: Cheat.

Some training in the woods which he could always pass as just trying to stay fit. A bit more time to dedicate to studies of Aura and Dust, though only theory. Sure, it still wasn't the same as the actual Huntsman training regime but it was a good start. He heard Aura boosted one's physical abilities so, in theory, if he could train himself and then have someone unlock his Aura, then he would gain the boost he so desperately needed.

The only thing that stood in his path now was transcripts.

Which is why he was here. Just your everyday guy, currenty sitting in the library, trying to find the way to cheat his way into the Vale's most prestigious school for Huntsmen with no training, no special talents and his Aura still locked. In hindsight, this might be not such a great idea but he would lie if he said it wasn't worth it. He told his parents and sisters it was just a school project but he still felt the anxiety over getting caught. If any of his sisters heard of this, he would dead! No, wait, they wouldn't kill him. They would just tell mom.

That was times worse! She would give him the look.

She would give him such look!

"Excuse me?" Someone tapped his shoulder and Jaune almost fell off his chair. He almost had a heart attack. The voice... Somehow, it sounded familiar. He just couldn't play where he heard it before. "May you and I have a chat?"

Oh no... They caught him! Olivia must have had one of her spies on him the whole time! His eyes darted to the screen, the search results open and clear for anyone to see. He had to suppress the urge to scream and run. If he had to go down, he would do it with dignity.

"My name i-"

"Please don't tell Olivia! I swear, this-" He pointed at the screen, making his damn best to look as trustworthy as possible. "It is for my friend! It is the research for my friend!"

"I think yo-"

"Oh God, you already called her!" He gasped, the speed at which his second oldest sister operated. No doubt she was already on her way here, with the rest of the female part of their family armed and ready. "Screw this! I am getting out of he-"

Before he could even make two meters out, he was pressed into the ground by a pair of huge guys. Dressed in black. With black shades. And weapons... Oh man... It all made sense... The fear... The deadly aura that filled their house once a month...

So mom is really the underworld tycoon that has the entire criminal empire of Vale under her thumb?!

He never quite believed it when Ivory told him why peopled feared their mother. But now it was hard to not believe it. Though to think that his mother would send some of her people after him so soon? Well, he was in deep trouble, that was for certain.

"Now that you calmed down, I hope we can have a proper talk." He looked at the young man - possibly one of mother's generals or whatever they were called. He looked familiar. It was hard to say how and why though. His eyes were darker than his own, the skin a tone or two paler (was that even healthy color?) and jet black hair reaching down towards his shoulders. He held himself with casual but somehow supierior feeling to him.

As if he owned this entire place. Now that he looked around, there were actually no people in here. But they were when he- Was it an ambush? How far did mom see things through?!

"I may have a very generous offer for you, Jaune Arc."

The smile the guy gave him said it all... It wasn't the operation from his mother.

He was being kidnapped.

[+]

"A grapefuit soda."

"Some tea for me."

Turns out he wasn't. While a relief in its own way, Jaune was still suspicious of what the guy wanted from him.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself," the young man said politely, holding his hand out. Without the fear of his sister, and a pair of bodyguards around, he seemed much friendlier. "My name is Lucian Aurum."

"Jaune Arc," he returned the handshake before both of them sat down at the table in the furthest corner of a small cafe. His sisters wouldn't look for him here. They knew he was afraid of a certain waitress way too much. Luckily, it wasn't Viola's shift. That woman had something against him, he just knew it. "So? What did you want to talk about?"

Lucian sat silent, waiting for something. What was that about?

"Tell me, Jaune..." Lucian started casually, strange glynt of curiosity in his eyes. That look made him shiver. "Do you know who I am?"

"No?" He answered honestly, though not completely sure if it was the right answer. If TV taught him anything, it was that people who said such things didn't like when they weren't recognized. "Should I?"

"No..." The young man smiled, which somehow seemed just on the wrong side of the vicious. "In fact, this might be just what I wanted. Tell me, what if I told you I can help you get into Beacon?"

"What?!" He could do that? But how? There were only a few months before the school years started. Or did he have some forged transcripts on hand? "How much do you want?"

"Oh, let me think... The lux-class printing paper, plus expenses on all the official stamps and-" As the guy started listing lots of things Jaune didn't even know were needed for making a transcript, he gulped down. The money he saved from various part-time jobs and sales of his old stuff, he had quite a lot for someone his age. But that was hardly enough for an actually good one. There was a high chance that he wouldn't be able to affor- "And the total is around- Free of charge."

Oh... Yeah, that was about right. No way he had this kind of... Wait...

"For free?" He practically jumped at the guy in sheer glee but quickly caught himself. "What's the catch?"

The brunet smiled just as their orders arrived. A glass of grapefruit soda and a cup of tea. No prize for guessing what he ordered. "You see, Jaune, I come from a very... traditionalist house, I would say." He said with a small sigh. "My father believes in earning your place and right in life. Which is why he believes I should attend a certain academy to further my understanding of real life."

"Sounds tough." Sadly, Jaune couldn't relate to such experience. While many people would envy him for his parents not putting pressure on him, Jaune saw it in another way. They never put pressure on him only because they didn't have any expectations of him. In a way, they lived with the idea of him being worthless as a norm. For them, but not for him. "So what kind of academy are we talking about?"

"Beacon Academy."

If all the juice Jaune spat out all over the guy's face bothered Lucian, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply wiped his face clean with a handkerchief from his pocket. At the same time, Jaune couldn't help but feel the envious feeling rear its ugly head. He didn't know anything about this guy's family but he still envied for him for the card the life dealth him.

"Good for you then," Jaune grumbled, focusing on his drink. His parents approved of him going to Beacon. Heck, from the tone of Lucian, it sounded like they were actually forcing him there! All the while his parents would rather have him stay powerless and useless. Right now there was nothing he wouldn't give for switching places with Lucian. "So how are you going to get me into Beacon?"

The brunet looked him straight in the eyes and answered bluntly.

"I want you to take my place."

Wait...

"... what?"

"My father roomed me to be a perfect successor to our small business," the young man looked into the window, look distant and sad. "I am the oldest son among the three so there's a lot of pressure on me. I understand that I am the best and most available as a candidate among my siblings and any other relatives but... I wanted to live a little for myself. Just a year or two and then I would take everything under control."

Jaune could sympathize with the guy. While their situations were almost opposite to each other, there was one thing both had in common: they weren't in control of their own lives.

"But isn't that illegal?" He asked.

"You were going to forge transcripts, weren't you?" Lucian answered with the smirk. "Plus, it's not like I didn't cover that in my plan. Or rather, my father covered it for me."

"What do you mean?"

"While my family is not as powerful as Schnees," Who was it? Jaune shrugged, setting this question for later. "he would rather have me live like a normal student. With no privileges or attention I would gain if I were to reveal my actual name. So he gave me the right to forge a new identity, wich is where you come in. We have similar builds and our facial structures are not that different either. Unless someone looks close enough, our eye color is also pretty similar."

"And the hair?"

"A small price for me to pay." The young man chuckled, gesturing to the barbershop across the street. "I can get a haircut and dye them the same as yours. After that, I will meet with my father and present this new identity as the one I will assume during my stay in Beacon."

"And then?" Jaune prompted.

"After that, I will need you to use this," the scroll of platinum color was handed to him, eyes widening in shock. Those weren't going to be on sale for months! "I had a friend of mine hack it in a way that would allow us privacy I need for the following months. I am going to teach you all the things you will need in order to avoid getting outed as an imposter."

"I don't know..." Cheating his way into Beacon through fake transcripts was one thing. Identity fraud was completely another, as far as he was concerned. He wasn't sure which one was worse, in the eyes of the law though.

"Isn't that what you want though?" Yes, God almighty, it was. He wanted it more than anything in the whole world. Jaune bit his lip at how easy it was for the guy to play him. "Think about it, Jaune. You get your training. You get the life you always wanted and at what price? All you need to do is just act like me when you talk to my father! Not to mention that I am more than ready to compensate you for your work."

Compensate? Did he mean he was ready to pay him for all of this? The small piece of paper was handed to him. Slowly, he opened it and his eyes widened in shock. While not exactly an impossibly sum, it was quite a lot for the seveteen year old student.

"This is how much you will get for each month." That made his jaw drop. Eyes wide and ublinking, he turned towards the apparently rich guy and saw his lips grow wider in smug grin. "My father absolutely refused to provide any money except for necessities but this will be more than enough for you to have quite the luxury in your spare time. So? Should I add another zero?"

"No!" The small part of him protested against it. In a family as large as his and quite the small age gaps between most siblings, they had quite the tight budget. They were doing better than most people, luckily, but sometimes Jaune wished he could hae more to spend. Heck, he could even afford a decent gear instead of the one the local forgery was ready to throw out and he took. "I-I mean... Are you really sure about all of this? Won't we be in trouble if we get caught."

"You'd prefer to be miserable instead?" Lucian asked humorlessly. "It might sound and even be selfish, Jaune, but I think that both you and I deserve doing something the way we want. At least, for once in our life, we deserve the right to decide for ourselves. Tell me... do you really want to let this chance slip past you only because your parents won't approve of it?"

How many times had he done that already? He always followed what his parents told him because he loved and respected them. But was it all there was?

"I am in."

He would take the fate into his own hands and make his own choices.

And nothing would stop him.

[=]

As he entered the hotel room, Lucian couldn't help a grin that spread across his face. He did it! The first stage of his plan that he spent the last few years working on was complete. Now it was only the matter of time and effort before the remaining pieces fell into plan and then he would finally be free.

"I take it, the guy agreed?" His personal bodyguard, the only person in on the entire plan, asked with his eyebrow raised. His grin must have been the answer obvious enough for Max just sighed and crossed his arms just like all the times before when he tried to talk him out of it. "I still think that's a horrible idea. You could always just voice your protest to your father, you know?"

As if he would be heard. He loved his father, dearly so. But the man was as implacable as he was old-fashioned. He would have better luck fighting a Goliath barehanded than convincing his father to not send him to Beacon. Heck, why would he need any training if he hired Huntsmen like Max over here to guard him all the time?

"Relax, Max," Lucian smirked as he laid on his bed, eyes bright and full of excitement. "The guy is far too simple to try and use my position. Hell, he doesn't even know who I am!"

And wasn't that just great?

"Are you serious?" The bodyguard's eyes widened in surprise and confusion. "You are telling me that someone doesn't know the face of their future king?"

Future king... Yeah, he had hard time believing that as well. Not that the royal family was as powerful as back before the Great War but they still had influence and status befitting their roots. But Jaune sounded too genuine and looked far too naive to try any foul play even if he understood he was actually talking the crowned prince of Vale. And, if his records were any proof, he was hardly strong or resourceful enough to pull anything off.

"I know, right?" he chuckled at his luck. "Just a few months and I will have full freedom over my life for the next four years!"

He could already taste it.

His father and mother would be far too busy to do anything but occasionally check over his progress and, maybe, send a letter once or twice a semester. Since his father wanted to avoid anyone learning of his heritage, he wouldn't contact him via video calls or send any of his servants to see him. The only person that would serve as his eyes and ears in academy would be headmaster himself and even then it would probably not be much of an issue.

Lucian knew how those in charge of schools were. You give them money and incentive to keep you safe and, as long as you did your homework and stayed out of trouble, they stayed out of your business.

"But if he is put in danger, your father will probably order for you to be brought back. And then they will learn the truth."

"Oh please, Max." He rolled his eyes at the bodyguard's paranoia. "What could possibly happen to the first-year students? A Grimm invasion?"

Yeah, as if.

"I am still not sure..."

"And you don't need to be," he said in a polite tone, the years of training in negotiation kicking in. "Look, I get it, Max. You are worried that something will happen to the guy. But Beacon is a school with the long and rich history, throughout which only a handful of students got injured, and that's the furthest they got. No deaths. No career-ending injuries or anything. Hell, if anything, you will be there to keep the guy safe, right?"

Not in open though. Max became the official member of the staff a few weeks prior, thanks to the headmaster, and would be ready to interfere if such need arose. Then again, what could happen during the first year anyway? They would have only one mission and then Vytal Festival. Those were the only two events where anyone could possibly get hurt. But the first one had a trained Huntsman accompany a team and the second one had numerous safety measures.

So yeah... Maybe Max would just waste his time in that academy.

As the night drew closer, Lucian yawned in exhaustion and Max left to his own room. As he changed into his sleepwear, the crowed prince of Vale still had the same goofy grin on his lips. Tomorrow would be the first day of him training Jaune into his imposter.

Would could possibly be difficult about that?

Small chapter, I know and I am sorry. Mostly done just for the introduction of the idea based on the classic Prince and Pauper. Unlike the original story though, Jaune doesn't know that he is impersonating such a figure.

So... Read and review, anyone?