Another chapter in the ongoing saga of team H.A.R.T. - Hart D'Ore challenges Weiss Schnee to personal combat on the field of honor. Can the Heiress beat this cocky young faunas when mettle meets metal?
Chapter 6 : A Test of Honor
Hart waited nervously, her fingers drumming on her knees. She wondered if Ruby and Yang would be surprised at what she had planned. She knew one of her friends would certainly be!
Akiko Washi, looked out of the corner of her eye at her partner. This deer faunas irked her occasionally, especially when she did the unexpected. " You are up to something, stupid girl!" The sharp comment held no malice. Akiko adored her partner, but would never let a chance to verbally jab her pass.
Hart grinned at the smaller girl. " You are too right! Just watch what happens!"
Tan and Renee shared a look. " This ought to be good!" he whispered.
Glynda Goodwitch strode across the floor, stopping in front of the students. Before she could begin the day's lecture a raised hand caught her attention. " Yes, Miss D'Ore?"
Hart popped to her feet. " Professor, I searched through the student manual and couldn't find an answer. Does Beacon Academy allow honor matches?"
Glynda raised an eyebrow. What was this girl up to? " Though they are a trifle outdated, they are still allowed under certain circumstances. Do you have someone particular in mind?"
Ruby covered her face with her hands as realization dawned. " Oh no!" she moaned " Why is she doing this?"
Yang leaned back and closed her eyes. " Told ya, sis! I knew it would happen the moment she saw her! " she sang. There was no way she was going to stop what was about to happen.
Weiss glared at the two sisters. " What are you two talking about?" she demanded.
Yang opened her eyes and turned her head to face her angry teammate. " Sorry Princess! I guess we should have warned you. Hart can resist anything except temptation, and ~you~ are today's temptation!" A grin spread across the blonde's face.
Weiss was confused by the remark. " What's that supposed to mean!?"
Blake covered her eyes with one hand, almost dreading what she expected might be happening. The delight in her partner's voice clearly pointed to this being something the blonde brawler was looking forward to . As for Hart, the other faunas had already proved herself to be unpredictable in the past. Today was obviously not going to be an exception.
Turning to her right to face team RWBY, Hart placed her left hand on the spot where her sword would normally be." Weiss Schnee! I challenge you to single combat! "
Weiss' head snapped around to face the girl, anger and confusion evident. " What?"
Goodwitch forced herself to remain calm, holding back the smirk at the white haired girls outraged reply. " Miss Schnee! You must either accept the challenge or admit defeat now."
Weiss was shocked. Hadn't this girl just recently promised to help her regain the honor that the Schnee family had lost? Promises or not, her pride made the decision for her. Standing regally, she faced the faunas girl and placed her left hand where Myrtenaster would soon sit. Admit defeat before drawing a blade? " Never! I accept!" she responded defiantly.
Hart ignored the glare that the other girl gave her as they changed out of their school uniforms.
The meeting with the Professor to determine the conditions of the match was, mercifully, short. The heiress was more than willing to agree to Hart's demands, the few simple rules that would make them stand as equals in all ways, save one.
She was planning on explaining her reasons, after the match, and had decided to do something nice to make up to the white haired girl. But she had to know! Did Weiss really understand the concept of' Honor'? Or was it merely pride that drove her opposition to the elder Schnee?
Hart understood pride, it was part of the reason she'd issued the challenge. The chance to test herself against someone who'd been trained by the best sword masters that money could hire was something she couldn't ignore. But honor came first, in her way of thinking. Weiss' response to the challenge and her quick agreement to the conditions had shown that the girl knew something about honor. The ability to do a thing because you knew it was right, even if you disagreed with it was one of the first lessons Hart had learned from her mentor. He'd explained it as simply as he could to the young faunas, " Honor is what others think of you, pride is what you think of yourself. Your actions tell others more about you than your words do!"
Now it was time to test Weiss' resolve. If she fought honorably, without resorting to trickery, Hart would continue to support her efforts to regain the Schnee family's lost honor.
Drawing on the leather gloves that ensured her grip remained tight, she completed her preparations. Silently, the pair marched side by side onto the classroom floor.
The two stood facing each other, swords drawn, Goodwitch between them. Looking up at the students, Glynda spoke as if she were giving her usual lecture.
" This is a formal match between Miss Schnee and Miss D'Ore. Combat between them will be limited to the scoring of points. The rules will be that of the epee, the whole body being targeted, both front and back. Points will be scored for touches with the tip of the sword only. At each touch I will call a halt to determine the point. The first to score three points wins the match. As agreed between them there will be no use of Dust or Glyph, and no acrobatics. Aura's will be used for defense only to prevent the accidental shedding of blood. Swordsmanship alone, skill against skill, will determine the better contestant. The winner will be awarded ten points on their final exam. The loser will have ten points deducted." She glowered at the stands. " As judge, I will ~not~ tolerate noise from the spectators!"
Coco crossed her arms, mildly interested, while Velvet leaned forward expectantly. They'd heard about Hart's challenge and snuck into the room unnoticed, hoping for some excitement during their free period.
Velvet was really looking forward to this, a match between her new friend Hart and Weiss! She'd never seen Hart fight, so she had no idea how proficient the young deer faunas was with her sword, but if she was willing to face the 'Ice Princess' then she must think she was more than 'pretty good'! The willingness to wager ten points on a major exam only added spice to the challenge.
When Coco leaned over and muttered in her ear " For ten points on my final, I'd fight them both with a rock!", Velvet had to slap both hands over her mouth to stifle the giggles the mental image gave her.
Team JNPR took a moment to move beside RWBY before the match began
Jaune found himself with Pyrrha on one side and Ruby on the other. Leaning towards Ruby, he whispered " Wasn't Hart taught by your uncle? I thought he used a scythe like you?"
Ruby leaned closer, not wanting to attract the professor's wrath, and whispered back " Yeah, but there's another teacher at Signal who uses a straight blade, Professor Glyppa. She probably studied with him!"
Pyrrha pulled him towards her to whisper in his ear. " Pay attention Jaune! Watching Weiss fight might help your own swordplay!"
Jaune looked at her, confusion on his face. " But, I'm not left handed!"
Glynda looked to Weiss. " Miss Schnee! Are you ready?"
Wiess' eyes narrowed, concentrating on her opponent as she'd been taught. " Yes!" Friend or not, there was no way she was going to lose to this upstart.
Turning her head to Hart , Glynda asked. " Miss D'Ore! Are you ready?"
Hart willed herself to relax, poised but loose. " I am!" The tight grip on the sword relaxed slightly. The room disappeared from her view as she focused on the girl in front of her.
Taking a step backwards, Glynda barked " Salute!"
Both sword rose in unison until they were vertical in front of the girls faces. A swish of displaced air as they were quickly lowered to their starting points.
" Touch!"
The swords were raised to the front until their tips met with a slight ringing, neither point wavering in the slightest.
Goodwitch raised her riding crop until is rested just underneath the blades. A last glance at each of them before she swept it upwards, separating the blades while taking another step backwards.
" Begin!"
Weiss' thrust was parried by Hart, then a return thrust was just as quickly turned aside. The two continued in this fashion for a moment, each studying the others responses to attacks from different quarters. As suddenly as they started they stopped, taking a step backwards.
Jaune was puzzled. Leaning towards Pyrrha he whispered " Is that it?"
Pyrrha was intently watching the two when she whispered back " No! They're just testing each other. Watch closely, now it gets serious!"
Yang nudged Blake. " Five lien says Weiss takes the match!" she whispered. Blake looked at her partner for a moment before replying " You're on! Five on Hart to beat the Princess!"
Leaning the other direction, Yang nudged Ruby. " Got a favorite yet sis?" Ruby cupped her hands around her face. " I can't decide! They're friends, I want them both to win!"
Weiss chose her target, Hart's right arm just above the elbow. Thinking this would teach the girl a lesson, she lunged forward intent on scoring. Her eyes widened as the faunas' arm and body suddenly dropped down and forwards.
" Halt!"
Weiss froze in position, looking down at Hart's upturned face and feeling a pressure on the toes of her left foot. Following the blade of her opponents sword, she saw the tip making a slight indentation on the tip of her leading boot. Hart made it worse by sticking her tongue out for a second before whispering " The whole body!" The remark made Weiss grit her teeth.
" Point!" cried the professor " One, nothing. Separate!"
They both straightened and returned to where they started, raising their swords once more. Weiss' eyes narrowed as she re-thought her strategy. If her opponent wanted to be like that, then so be it. Two could play that game!
Yang balled her hands into fists and glowered as Blake smiled happily.
"Begin!"
Hart lunged forward, thrusting towards Weiss' beltline, intently watching the target. She was surprised when Weiss pirouetted to her right, sword flashing towards Harts right shoulder. A sudden pressure in the palm of her left hand told her that she'd lost the round.
" Halt!"
She looked up towards Weiss' face and received the same tongue-sticking-out that she'd given earlier and heard her words repeated. " The whole body!" Hart couldn't stop the giggle that came from that remark. This match just might turn out to be more fun than she'd anticipated.
Glynda looked them over critically. Hart's sword had missed Weiss' body by a hand span. Weiss was arched over Hart's blade, her own passing over the shoulder to rest against the cupped palm of the left hand that Hart had held up to retain her balance.
"Point! Points stand at one each! Separate!"
It was Yang's turn to fist-pump as Blake glowered.
"Begin!"
Jaune lost track of the action as both seemed to blur into motion with a sharp ring of steel on steel.
" Halt!"
Their left shoulders nearly touching, the pair waited. Weiss' sword arm was thrust past Hart's back, missing entirely. Hart's left arm was parallel to Weiss' sword, but her right was bent, wrist cocked sharply. The sword crossed her body with the tip resting against Weiss' left hip.
Hart just couldn't help herself. She gave a little nudge with the sword, nearly causing the other girl to lose her balance. Weiss turned her head at the distraction. " Hey!"
Hart grinned " Oops! Sorry!" whispered the unrepentant faunas.
"Point! Points stand at two, one! Separate!"
When Goodwitch signaled the point Yang found herself wanting to hit her partner. She didn't think Blake had to make such a fuss over a stupid point!
"Begin!"
Once again, they faced each other.
Weiss decided to try something different. She let her arm drop a fraction of an inch and let her point move slightly out of line, inviting the touch. When Hart went for it, she raised it again quickly and let the point of her sword flow alongside the other's blade until it slid under the cross guard. A sudden flip upwards and Hart's sword was torn from her hand, the blade soaring vertically above them. Weiss smiled at the look of disbelief on the faunas' face as she watched Oathblade take to the air.
Hart recovered quickly from the shock of the event. Rather than grope for her sword, she waited patiently for it to drop back into her hand. Straightening, she made a swift salute to Weiss before turning to Goodwitch. " I concede the point!"
Jaune leaned towards Pyrrha " Why'd she do that?" he asked.
Pyrrha seemed slightly shocked at the question. " Jaune!" She patiently explained " If this were a real fight, Weiss could have easily killed Hart after disarming her!"
Realizing how silly the question was, he leaned back with a muttered " Oh..yeah..of course!"
" Point conceded! Points stand at two each! Match point!"
Hart was feeling slightly desperate. Weiss was easily the best opponent she'd ever faced, but she wasn't ready to give up yet! If the heiress thought she'd shown them something flashy, then she'd better get ready for this one!
Weiss was surprised when Hart suddenly retreated several steps, leaving a wide space between them. She couldn't win the match if her opponent stayed out of reach! She'd just begun moving to close the gap when the faunas suddenly threw herself forward. Weiss watched as time seemed to slow as her opponent crossed the gap in a flying lunge, suddenly dropping towards the floor with her sword angled up sharply towards Weiss' stomach. Unable to stop in time, Weiss watched her own blade pass harmlessly over Hart's back as the other's sword slid out of her view beneath her.
" Halt!"
Jaune found himself staring at the frozen tableau. Weiss was looking down at Hart's back, almost in tears. Hart's body was stretched out barely above the floor, right arm angled up, her right knee touching her chest, left leg and arm stretched behind her as far as they would go. Her long black hair was bunched up from the sudden stop, the curls covering her face.
Suddenly it felt like his arm was being torn from his body. Pyrrha was squealing in delight. " A fleche! She did a fleche! I've only seen it once before! Perfect!" Jaune tried valiantly to save his arm.
" Flesh? Like meat!?" he asked, trying to pull her fingers off before he lost circulation.
Blake leaned over " No. It means 'arrow'. Look at her body, she flew straight as an arrow! Perfect!" she said admiringly.
Jaune gave up trying to fend off Pyrrha and looked again. " Oh!"
Hart looked along the length of her sword. Something wasn't right here! Gently she pushed the blade forward slightly. 'Damn!' Hart couldn't decide if it was just luck or that Weiss was really that good.
Goodwitch looked at the scene before her. ' Well, that's that!' she thought, taking a breath before speaking. The professor raised her face to the stands. " Point! Match point! The match goes..."
" I decline the point!"
Hart's shout made her pause midsentence. Frowning she looked at the pair again. Wiess' eyes were wide, but Hart's face was hidden by her hair. " Separate!" She was going to get to the bottom of this quickly!
Hart rose as Weiss moved back. " Explain!" Glynda demanded.
Hart held her head high as she returned the professors gaze. " My sword point was not touching my opponent when the halt was called." She explained. " I cannot, in honor, accept the point!"
' hmmm!' Glynda thought, ' I didn't really look that closely either!' Letting the frown flow away, she stepped back. " Very well! Return to your starting positions, girls." Turning to the crowd, she announced " The point is declined! Points stand at two, two. Match point!"
Yang and Blake were both leaning forward intently, fists clenched in anticipation.
" Get her Weiss!" growled Yang while Blake responded with " Come on Hart!"
As they passed each other, Weiss whispered " Thank you!"
Hart turned to face her and raised her sword in salute. " For honor!" she replied.
Weiss smiled and returned the salute. " For honor!" The white haired girl's respect was evident in her voice.
The sword tips met again as the girls set themselves for a final effort.
" Begin!"
What followed confused everyone except Goodwitch. Even Pyrrha couldn't keep up with the two girls movements. After the first touch they seemed to blur, the swords making a continuous ringing sound like an alarm bell as both gave the best they had. Their teammates watched in awe, just now realizing how good their friends were.
Akiko had her hands clenched, staring at her partner. She'd fought beside Hart several times against Grim, but had never seen the other girl move this fast. She silently promised to never again question the faunas' abilities with a blade. Her teammates sat with mouths hanging open, dumbfounded by the spectacle.
Jaune gave up and covered his eyes, judiciously moving his arm out of Pyrrha's reach. The red ponytail was bobbing up and down as the excited girl leaned forward. No matter how the match ended, her team leader was going to be the focus of that energy, he was sure.
Yang and Blake sat stunned, mouths open. The only other time they'd seen Weiss move this fast in the past was when she had been the butt of one of their jokes, and that had not ended well for the pair. Ruby had her hands over her eyes, but she was peeking between the fingers as her curiosity won out over her fear of seeing either friend lose . Velvet was startled when Coco suddenly moved up next to her, staring intently at the combatants.
"Halt!"
The girls froze in position at the word.
The teams in the stands were so intent on trying to follow the combat that they startled by the sudden stop, jerking backwards as if touched by a live electrical wire.
Again, Glynda found herself frowning. She didn't like this one bit! Hart's sword touched Weiss' left ribs, Weiss had hers touching Hart's right collarbone. Marching forwards, she stopped just short of them, looking at each in turn. " Ladies! I suspect collusion here!" she hissed. The girls turned to her with wide, shocked eyes.
" No ma'am!" Weiss whispered. " By my honor, there is none!" Hart declared.
Glynda glared at them each one more time, before sighing and stepping back. " Very well!" Looking at the stands she announced her decision. " Double touch! One point each! The match is a draw!"
Yang and Blake both dropped their heads and whined "Aaaww!" Ruby was clearly delighted at the outcome, her smile couldn't get any bigger without causing lasting damage. Jaune decided he didn't really need that arm after all, apparently Pyrrha needed it more. Velvet nearly gave Coco a heart attack when the faunas threw her arms around her.
Goodwitch decided not to make an issue of what was happening in the stands. Instead, she turned back to the two girls. " Separate!"
The two stepped back and lowered their swords.
" Salute!"
Again, the sword were raised to their opponent, then lowered.
" Sheathe!"
Hart slipped hers back into its scabbard as Weiss clipped her own to her belt.
Goodwitch looked back at the stands. " In view of their performance, I will award each contestant five points on the final exam! The match is ended, you are free to go!"
The girls turned towards her and bowed as she nodded in return. Stepping closer she gave them both a small, rare, smile. " Well done ladies!" she said quietly, before turning to leave. The crowd began cheering, clapping ,and whistling as she walked out.
Weiss held out her hand to shake, only to find herself pulled into a tight hug. " Thanks Weiss! That was the best match I've ever had!" crowed Hart.
Separating, they held each other's forearms. " Thank you! And dinner is on me tonight!" beamed Weiss.
" Deal" agreed Hart " I'm buying tomorrow!"
Arm in arm, they marched off to meet their freinds.
Glynda paused just inside the door of the office, watching the two young women as they waved to their comrades in the stands. As the instructor of the combat course at Beacon, she was used to seeing students battle each other on a daily basis, but not under these kinds of rules.
Miss Schnee had already proven many times that she was a Mistress of the sword, but this young challenger had proven herself an equal. For a moment Glynda was tempted to send a recording of the girls to Weiss' father, just to see if he really would have a heart attack.
This blossoming friendship would bear watching.
Post Scriptum:
The 'Fleche' is an extremely difficult attack to pull off. It requires precise timing, and an unsuspecting opponent. In three tries, I managed to accomplish it once when I was much, much younger and faster. And, yes, I scored many points on toes during bouts with the epee against right-handed opponents.
My humble thanks to all of you that are following the team's stories as they learn that being a Huntress and Hunter requires more than just being good with a weapon. I hope they live up to your expectations.
Vindictious