Here's the next chapter of Meet the Family.
You know, for a while I was wondering how I could possibly portray a belivebale Jaune x Nora fic, mostly because 90% of her screen time is revolved around Ren. It felt weird writing something with just the two of them, and even weirder having them be in a relationship. Even though I'm not a shipper, some things still feel odd to write.
Still, I reckon I've done a good enough job with this one. I've taken a slightly different approach with meeting Nora's family, as you'll soon see. I'm sure the change of pace will be interesting for you.
Oh, and I've fixed the chapter titles in the previous chapters. That was embarrassing XD
Chapter 6 - Nora's Arc
Despite her boisterous personality and her tendencies to be a blabbermouth, Nora Valkyrie rarely ever talked about herself.
For example, if you were to get into a conversation with her, chances are she'd talk about her weapon, strange dreams she might have had, or something completely nonsensical. More often than not, she'd talk about her childhood friend Ren and what a great guy he was, or at least something along those lines.
Nora generally kept her personal information to herself. She never talked about where she grew up, what her childhood was like or even who her parents were. It probably wasn't because nobody was interested in knowing, they were probably just wrapped up in her personality and antics to even think about asking.
But Jaune wasn't a stranger or a simple acquaintance to Nora. He was her friend and leader. He wanted to know her better. He thought about asking Ren about her past, but he wanted to hear her story from her lips.
The first time he asked her anything about her past, she immediately laughed it off. Claiming that there was nothing interesting about her childhood and that he shouldn't worry himself about it. That wasn't good enough. He wasn't gonna spend four years in Beacon knowing hardly anything about his teammate.
He certainly didn't force her to tell him anything, but he did try to subtly get her to mention something every now and then. Not once did he get a bit of information out of her. To Nora's credit, she could be a real closed book when she wanted.
He did ask Ren for advice to get her to open up a bit, but even he admitted he didn't really know what to say. He figured she would tell him when she's ready, and if she was being cagey about her past, it probably wasn't his place to reveal anything.
It was only when Nora suffered a critical injury during a Grimm fight did he manage to learn anything. She had been bitten by a King Taijitu and it's venom had put her in the hospital. The doctors said she would live, but that didn't stop Team JNPR fearing for her wellbeing.
On their first visit seeing her in the hospital, Jaune had volunteered to call Nora's parents to tell her of her condition. Nora had firmly told him not to do that, but he wouldn't have it. They deserved to know of their daughter's condition. This kept bouncing back and forth until Nora finally told him that her family was dead.
That had been a tough pill to swallow.
From then on, Nora became more open with Jaune about her life each time he visited her privately in the hospital. She told him how she lived on the streets from a very early age, and likely would have died if it hadn't been for Ren's kindness.
It was just as well those visits were private, as Nora would be caught dead before anyone saw her cry.
It was during that time that Jaune discovered that behind that bubbly personality was a girl who never got the chance to have a happy childhood. Nora never spoke of the past because it hurt too much to remember.
Jaune devoted much of his time after that to helping her recover. She insisted that she had accepted it long ago, but he still did his bit to help. Three months passed and Jaune had successfully steered Nora on the right path to recovery. He was careful not to coddle the girl, but he wanted to make sure that she was still feeling alright.
And somewhere along the line, Nora had asked him out.
It had been a surprising offer for him, but not at all an unwelcome. There was no denying that the two had gotten closer after all this. He said yes without giving it much thought, and he received the most crushing hug he had ever felt in his life from her.
Jaune Arc had become Nora Valkyrie's boyfriend...
… and just about every boy in Beacon pitied him for it.
[/]
The sea breeze had him shivering so hard, he swore he could hear his bones rattle inside him.
Nora had warned him that where they were going was gonna be cold, so he had brought his warmest winter coat with him. Not that it made a difference, as the cold past through the material without care. He doubted winter's in Atlas could be this cold. It was a wonder how the water they were sailing on wasn't completely frozen over.
They were currently on a boat to Nora's homeland. Apparently it was just north of Mistral, but not quite heading into the territory of Atlas. It was it's own secluded little area. She didn't blame him for not hearing of it before.
He had gone outside to get some fresh air - motion sickness didn't give a shit of how slow something was moving - but he was quickly regretting that decision, as he was starting to lose feeling in his fingers.
He headed back inside to where Nora was. She was wearing simple winter gear underneath a thick fur cloak. Apparently that's all she needed. Though to be fair, that cloak looked incredibly warm. He'd have to ask the cabin crew if they had any to spare.
"Feeling seasick already, sailor?" she cackled.
"I dunno what's gonna kill me first," he groaned. "The cold or my motion sickness."
"Keep it together, Jauney, we're nearly there now. And come on, it can't be that bad outside."
"That's easy to say when you're dressed like that!" He pointed to her cloak.
She rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm just wearing this because it looks cool. I could to this trip in shorts and I barely feel a breeze."
"This is why people call you crazy."
"Only because they can't match my awesomeness." She eyed him up mischievously. "Well, if you're so cold, come sit next to me. I'll warm you up~"
The offer might have been interpreted as sexual, but in Jaune's case, he really was too damn cold. He sat down next to her, causing her to sit on his lap and throw her arms around his neck.
"That doing anything for 'ya?" she giggled, leaning into his chest.
It actually was, oddly enough. He could feel the heat radiating off her, causing him to hold her tightly. It was gonna be difficult for him to let her go and step outside again.
"I don't know how you can be so chilled about this weather," he chattered. "You must have borrowed Yang's Semblance for the day."
"Pfft, I don't need any charity to help me get by," she scoffed. "I'm just used to the weather by now. If anything, everywhere else in the world is too warm for me. Why do you think I'm always wearing short-sleeved shirts and skirts?"
Huh, he had never really thought about that before. She always did wear summer clothes, even when it was raining. Apparently it wasn't to show off her muscles and figure like he originally thought."
"Point taken," he said. "I just don't understand how you can adapt to it so quickly. I mean, it's not like you come here often."
"That's a Valkyrie for you," she winked. "Besides… who says I don't come here often?"
Damn it, that was probably a stupid thing to say. Despite her family being dead, this was still her homeland. Of course she would visit it often.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said-" he began to mumble. He was cut off when she kissed his cheek.
"It's fine, Jaune. I know you didn't mean it to be rude," she giggled. "But you have a point, it's not like I'm here everyday. But I do try to come back here as often I can. It just feels right, you know?"
She held onto him tighter when she said that. It was weird to be embraced by her and not lose a few ribs in the process. That's how you knew she was being serious.
"You still miss them, don't you?" he said softly.
She flicked his nose. "Dummy, of course I do. And I'm gonna keep missing them until they day I die. But don't you worry, I'm not gonna start getting mopey around you."
"I know you won't." She could handle anything. "But still, if you wanna feel sad, just know that I'm here for you."
"Careful, I'm known to get clingy when I am." She emphasised the point by huddling in closer to him. "If I start to feel down, I might not want to let go."
"I wouldn't complain."
She actually blushed a little at that, before grinning and pinching one of his cheeks with enough force to hide her embarrassment.
"Look at you - starting to put the 'fearless' in 'fearless leader'" she smirked.
"I better be fearless if I'm gonna put up with you."
"Oh, don't pretend you don't have fun around me."
Well, he couldn't argue with that. She snuggled a little closer into him and he rested his head atop her orange hair. True, half the stuff she did could've gotten him killed if it hadn't been for aura and sheer luck, but at the end of the day, he wouldn't trade her for the world. That was probably how Ren thought too.
Speaking of…
"You know, I'm surprised Ren isn't here with us," he said. "He's practically family to you, isn't he?"
"He's done this journey before," she said. "I don't expect anyone to accompany me twice. This is my responsibility, not anyone else's."
"I guess that's fair enough. But you know I'd come with you again if you asked me to, right?"
"Easy there, scraggly. You don't even know what it's gonna be like yet."
"No, but I also wouldn't want my girlfriend traveling out on her own."
She laughed wholeheartedly at that. "What's the matter? Worried that the lady can't look after herself?" She let her body flop and rested the back of her hand on her forehead. "Oh dear, where is my knight? Somebody save me from the Grimm," she wailed sarcastically, pretending to be a damsel in distress.
"Well excuse me for being worried about you," he pouted. She laughed at his reaction and nuzzled against his neck.
"If anything, I should be the one worried about you," she giggled. "I've seen your arms. You've got a long way to go if you're gonna reach my level of muscle."
She squeezed his arm to prove her point.
"Hey, that's not fair," he stammered. "You have to carry a massive warhammer. Of course you're stronger than me."
"Excuses, excuses," she tutted. "I don't know how Pyrrha's been training you, but it's clearly not good enough. A week of training with me, and I'll have you looking like a walking thunder cloud."
"Probably wouldn't be able to fit in the hoodie, though," he muttered. He cherished that hoodie and wore it with pride every day. He had made Pumpkin Pete and his dentist a lot of money in trying to win it, after all.
"Well, there's that," she purred, circling a finger around his chest. "Mind you, I've always thought you looked better with it off~"
He blushed furiously at the comment. He still found it odd that anyone would be interested in seeing him that way. It felt only days ago that he was doing everything in his power to win Weiss' affection. Now he was in a loving relationship with Beacon's craziest powerhouse.
Fate had a funny way of showing kindness.
Her flirt gave him the confidence to lean down and kiss her. Even though Nora was an absolute beast on the battlefield, she was surprisingly gentle in her affection. The kiss was soft and lingering, with him rubbing her back and her running her fingers through his hair.
They're cabin door then opened to reveal one of the sailors taking them to the island.
"Miss Valkyrie, we're approaching-" he stopped when he saw what they were doing. Jaune looked at him embarrassed, whilst Nora didn't seem bothered at all. "Um, am I interrupting something?"
"Not really," Nora said happily. "What is it?"
"I was just gonna say we're approaching our destination now. You might want to prepare for landing."
"Aye, aye," Nora laughed, jumping off of Jaune's lap. His body suddenly felt fifty percent colder. "You heard the man, Jaune. Let's go."
Before stepping off the boat, Jaune quickly asked around if they had anymore fur cloaks on board. To his luck, they had a spare that was just about his size. The difference it made was incredible. He was still a little cold, but at least he wasn't shaking like a madman anymore.
The boat docked on an icy landscape, snow falling all around them. The mist that covered the land was so thick that he could barely see in front of him. Luckily for him, Nora didn't see this as a problem. She walked in front of him and gestured him to follow.
"Just follow my lead," she said. "Trust me, I've done this trip enough times to know where I'm going."
He sure hope she did. Although he didn't like to admit it, the sight of that blizzard scared him. If they got lost, he doubted anyone would be there to help them. The land looked simply too hostile for there to be any residents. If they got hurt, they were on their own.
But he trusted Nora, as crazy as that might sound. Despite her wild antics, she was far from stupid. She wasn't gonna do anything that she knew would kill her. If she knew that she could travel through this blizzard unharmed then she would. He knew she would keep him and herself safe.
They set off into the mist, with him tagging close behind her. He had made it this far with her, so there was no turning back now.
[/]
They had probably been walking for about ten minutes, but it felt like hours since they started.
The snow was a pain to walk in. It made him feel like he was walking with an iron ball chained to his ankle. Each step exhausted him as he trudged through the bitter cold surface. He only had his sneakers covering his shoes, which did nothing to protect him from the snow getting in and melting under his foot. His feet were soaked, which only made trying to walk even harder.
And people complained that sand got everywhere. Snow was another monster altogether.
The mist wasn't getting any thinner as they went on. It felt like he was being closed in by a thick, grey wall. Everywhere he looked he just saw grey. Grey to the left, grey to the right, grey looking forward. The boat they had arrived on had long disappeared, hidden behind the mist as soon as they took a few steps.
It didn't take much to scare Jaune, but he was thankful that claustrophobia wasn't one of his fears.
The wind didn't help either. It pushed him back with enough force to almost send him falling over himself. It made opening his eyes difficult, though that hardly made a difference with all the bloody mist everywhere. It howled all around him, as if nature itself was screaming at him to turn back.
Had he been a weaker man, he might have done so.
But he wouldn't allow himself to be, for he had a reason to face this storm. And that reason was faring far better than he was.
Nora Valkyrie walked with her head held high against the elements. Her gaze was locked forward, undeterred by the relentless forces of nature. She walked with stride and purpose, marching through the snow as if it wasn't even there. He didn't know if he had ever seen her look so determined before.
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" he shouted over the wind.
"Trust me, if I didn't, I would've died the first time," she called back. "We just gotta keep moving forward. Won't be long now."
While that was a little comforting, Jaune didn't really know what to expect when they arrived. Would there be anywhere to shelter from the storm? Would it be any safer compared to what they were dealing with now? Could he at least dry his feet when they arrived?
He got so distracted by his thoughts, that he didn't notice the rock he was walking towards. He ended up tripping on the thing and landing face first in the snow. The bitter cold substance covered his face and sneaked down his clothes. The fur cloak didn't help with this one, as he felt the worst chill he had ever felt in his life. His body cringed up from the cold and his face felt numb.
"Jaune!" Nora cried, rushing to his aid. "Are you alright?"
"F-Fine," he chattered, his teeth practically vibrating in his mouth. "Just s-slipped up, that's a-all."
She put her warm hands on his face. He didn't know how she managed her body temperature the way she did. "God, you're freezing," she gasped. "Hold tight to me, I'll keep you warm."
He slung his arm over her shoulders and leaned against her weight. She had no problem supporting him and the two set off again. Her body heat did make a difference, and he found himself able to use his legs again. She remained focused the entire time, moving forward with the same determination as before.
How many times had she done this journey? And how many of those times had she done it by herself? He didn't like the idea of her putting herself in harm's way, but she had to be admired for her courage. She treated the blizzard like it was nothing more than a mere inconvenience.
He would hate to see the thing made her scared…
"How… you know… where going?" he managed out. He felt like his tongue had frozen.
"You never forget this route," she responded back easily enough. "Not unless you wanna get lost."
And had she gotten lost before? It's probably why she remembered the route so well. It probably wasn't the right time to ask her that, though.
After another eternity of walking that was probably only ten minutes, the blizzard appeared to die down. Walking was made a little easier and the mist started to give way. They could finally see more than two feet in front of them.
"We're here," Nora grinned.
Jaune gasped at the sight before him. The mist had finally disappeared, giving them a clear view of their surroundings. They were standing on the edge of a cliff, surrounding by mountains that seemed to pierce the sky. An aurora borealis hung in the sky above them, the green and purple lights lighting up the heavens. It was probably the first bit of light he had seen since setting out.
Looking down, he saw what looked to be the remains of a village. Half of it appeared to be covered by snow, but it was difficult to tell from the height they were at. All he could tell was that it was large and almost certainly abandoned, judging from how there were no lights below him.
"This is the easy bit," she said. "We just gotta make our way down and then it's smooth sailing."
Making their way down off the side of a cliff. Yeah… totally easy. Thankfully, Nora knew a safe route on how to get down. She seemed to have a safe route for every bit of this journey. Had this been at Beacon, she probably would have recommended jumping down and letting the wind guide his fall.
Mind you, there was certainly enough wind to spare where they were.
They made their way down easily enough, and Jaune got a closer look at the village they were approaching. The buildings appeared to be made from stone and, just like he predicted, they were abandoned. Though that had less to do with the lights, and more of the fact that many of them were destroyed...
It was eerily quiet in the village. The only sounds made were from the two of them walking, and the occasional lump of snow falling off a roof. He couldn't even hear a bird flying overhead, or any other signs of life in the area. All that was there was the young couple and a village with no one home.
"Jaune Arc, welcome to Ragnard," Nora announced, sounding a little glum than usual.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was her home, or what was left of it, anyway. Whatever destroyed this village happened a long time ago, as nature appeared to be reclaiming what was left off the land.
"What happened here?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Grimm? Bandits? Other? I dunno, I was too young to remember. All I remember was running and not looking back. I think that's better, really."
They past through the village square. Abandoned possessions littered the street; food, bags, even the occasional weapon. A fountain stood in the centre of the square, the water inside completely frozen over.
Most of the buildings were destroyed, but some remained relatively intact. It was difficult to say what destroyed them, as the snow covered most of the debris. If he did some exploring, he might've been able to guess the cause, but this place was eerie enough as it was. He decided that staying close to Nora was better.
"How young were you? You know, when this all…" Argh, he couldn't say it without feeling stupid. Was he seriously asking her to remember how old she was when her home was destroyed? And people thought she had a big mouth…
"Pretty young," she sighed. "Young enough to not be able to fight. Although if I was, I probably would've joined the rest." She kicked some of the snow in front of her. "No, I was just a kid when this all happened. I could only run and just pray whatever attacked didn't follow me."
"So you ran through that snowstorm when you were just a kid?" His teeth chattered at the memory.
"It was a little clearer the first time I did it," she giggled. "But yeah, I guess I did. When you're running for your life, you don't really plan that far ahead. Hell, when you're a kid, you never do."
God, did everyone have a shitty childhood except for him? Ruby lost her mother, whilst Yang lost two. Weiss lived most of her life under her father's thumb. Blake had one been a part of the White Fang. Pyrrha had practically no friends until Beacon. Ren also had his life pulled under him after an attack, and now this…
It felt like only yesterday when the most he had to complain about as a kid was wanting to be a hunter. Solomon Arc didn't like the idea about training him, causing Jaune to whine at him for years. Perhaps he was just trying to avoid him getting involved in stuff like this?
"I don't know if anyone else survived," she said softly. "I didn't see anyone follow me. I'm pretty sure I'm the sole survivor." She groaned. "Lucky me, I guess."
He squeezed her hand. "Don't say that like it's a bad thing," he said. "You mean so much to all of us, especially me."
She giggled at the praise. "Don't worry, I'm hardly gonna end it over a little survivor's guilt. It's just… sometimes I think a little too much. This place just brings it out in me."
"And are you sure you wanna keep going?"
She shrugged again. "We're here now, aint we? Besides, it's kinda tradition for me to come here. I'm not about to break it now."
They kept walking until they stopped in front of one of the more intact houses. It had a few holes in the roof, but nothing that would send it collapsing to the ground. It was rather large, at least two stories, and stood near the edge of the village.
Nora walked up to the front door and started looking for something in her pocket. After a brief moment of looking, she pulled out a key…
Oh…
The key fit perfectly in the lock and the door clicked open. She walked on inside and called back to him to follow her.
[/]
The house inside was cold, not that he expected anything else. The furniture was neatly arranged and the whole place looked well looked after. A little strange for house in a village that had been attacked. Nora had disappeared into the house, leaving him to look around.
He found his way into the living room, the place looking equally as tidy as the rest of the house. A few leather chairs, a bookcase, a tv and a few pictures decorated the room. He looked at the pictures hanging up on the wall. Many were of the scenery in the village, but some had people in it. More specifically, three people - a girl and her parents.
The father was a huge man with a bushy beard and a happy smile, whilst the mother was a smaller but still fierce looking woman. They were standing in front the fountain in the village, the little girl grinning beside the pair.
They each shared the same shade of orange hair…
So, those two must have been her parents… they looked like good people. He wished he could've gotten the chance to meet them, even if the dad looked like he'd chop him in half. Hell, the mother looked capable of that, too.
He felt like he should've said something to the photograph; he wanted to tell the image of the parents that their daughter was in good hands. He decided against it though, for his words would be meaningless.
To pay his respects, he straighten the photo a little and wiped off whatever dust was on it. It was the least he could do, right? He'd probably want the same kind of treatment.
He found Nora in what was probably the dining room, judging from the large wooden table in the room. She was beginning to light the large fireplace in the room, when she caught him looking around.
"Like what I've done with the place?" she grinned. "Yeah, I like to keep the house tidy every time I come back."
"I'm surprised you bothered to even lock the door," he said. It was unlikely that there were any thieves in the area.
"Meh, I still like to feel like someone's still living here. Makes it seem less empty, know what I mean?" She clapped her hands together once the fire started to grow. "Anyway, want anything to eat? There's some spare food in the pantry."
"Even after all this time?"
"I always restock when I come back," she laughed. "It's only canned stuff, but it'll keep us fed."
They ended up eating canned beans and chicken. He didn't realise how hungry he was until he started tucking into his meal. The walk had drained him more than he realised. The two ended up getting seconds and sat by the fire to warm up more. She sat with her head on his shoulder and he brought her closer to his side.
For a while they didn't say anything, almost falling asleep to the sound of the crackling fire. Usually it was her that was the first to speak up, but she was unusually quiet during the trip. It was only unusual in the sense that she was usually the life of a conversation. He decided to be the first to speak this time.
"You know, you've done a great job of looking after the place," he said in an attempt to start conversation. "If I didn't know better, I'd say there was still someone living here."
"I try my best," she sniffed. "Ren was always better at tidying up then I was. Breaking things is more my forte."
"Can't argue with that," he laughed. The amount of things that got destroyed under her hammer was uncountable. "Mind you, you said you brought Ren here once. Maybe he did all the cleaning and you're just lying to me."
"Hey, this is all my handiwork," she whinged. "Even I know better than to let my house get messy."
"Alright, I believe you," he laughed. He ruffled her hair as a way of saying sorry. "What was it like living here anyway?"
"Kinda quiet, if I'm being honest," she said. "We're pretty far away from neighbouring villages, so we just kinda kept to ourselves. It was nice, though. Everything felt homely." She gave a deep sigh. "Then it all went wrong."
Silence filled the room for a while. The sound of the fire crackling was the only noise being made.
"My memory is a little fuzzy," she continued quietly. "I remember seeing everyone running, trying to get away from whatever was happening. I very nearly got trampled over the wave of people at one point. It all still feels like a dream."
"Everything was burning. I'd never seen fire that big before, never felt anything that hot before. It was all around us, burning everything we knew to the ground. That was when I saw my first explosion, too." She laughed a little at the memory. "I remember being knocked back by it. It felt like I just got punched by a heatwave. Who'd I would end up relying on them as I got older? Gotta respect their power, I guess."
She fidgeted a little against him. It must have been hard remembering what happened, but she carried on.
"I think the first thing I did was rush home in order to find my parents. But when I got there, no one was home. I searched everywhere in the house, but they weren't there. They were probably outside somewhere, but you couldn't tell over the sea of people…"
She bit her lip. "I never did find them in the end. I just ran when I couldn't find them in the house."
He squeezed her hand one he felt her start to shake. It was rare to see Nora so open about anything to someone. He almost didn't know what to say. How did you console someone who revealed something as heavy as that? He couldn't imagine how scare she must have been at the time.
"I think I saw a picture of your parents," he said softly. "They seemed like good people."
"Probably were. To tell you the truth, I barely remember them," she sighed. "My earliest memories of here were of me running to a boat and sailing far away, while my home burned behind. I sometimes have a hard time remembering their faces."
"Well, I made it to safety and found my way to Kuroyuri. That's where I met Ren, and the rest is history." She laughed bitterly. "And look what happened there, too. I mean this seriously, Beacon is the only place I've ever truly called home."
And Team JNPR were her family. And they would keep being that till the end of their days.
"Nora, I… I don't know what to say. I imagine you've heard it all before."
"Don't worry about it," she scoffed. "I'm not asking for a pity party. I just figured you deserve to know. Besides, feels good to share it with someone else."
"I take it Ren already knows?"
"Oh yeah, of course he does," she laughed. "There's nothing he doesn't know about me."
Yeah, considering what the pair had been through, that wasn't surprising. And speaking of Ren…
"You know, I think many of us thought you and Ren were together. But, like, together-together."
She laughed at the term she always used. "For a while, I kinda hoped we would be. He saved my life, looked after me, put up with my craziness… how could I not fall for him?"
"Then why didn't you go for it? He probably would've said yes."
"He might've done," she agreed. "But why ruin a good thing? If we dated and it didn't work out, it might've made things awkward between us. I'm not about to lose my closest friend. Not that it matters, though. I've got you to fill in the boyfriend part."
He rested his head atop of hers. "And I will for as long as you'll have me."
"Good, cause I wasn't kidding about whipping you into shape," she smirked. "Ren's already too thin for his own good. I won't let you go the same way."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Of course it is. How are you supposed to carry me on your shoulders into battle with a body like that? You'd collapse under the weight of Magnhild! I'd have to pick you up, which is a massive no-no."
And there it was, the same cheerful Nora he knew before. She had been talking about this battle formation from the moment she had started training him. She insisted that it would give them a tactical advantage, but really, she'd probably knock his head off with her hammer. Though he would try to make it work, if only to make her happy.
"So, good news first," she said. "The good news is that there's a spare bedroom that doesn't have a hole in the roof that we can use tonight."
Oh, so they were sleeping here tonight? He thought they were gonna head back to the boat whenever she was ready. Though, to be fair, it was probably safer to wait out the blizzard.
"Bad news - for you, at least - is that we're not done yet," she grinned. "Coming here is only a checkpoint. The final bit of the journey we'll complete tomorrow."
"You hear me complaining?"
"I will when I tell you where we're going. If you thought snow was a pain to walk through, try walking uphill against it."
That sounded… inconvenient.
"Guess we better get some rest then," he sighed. He wanted to prepare his feet for the frostbite to come.
"Atta boy, Jauney-Boy," she laughed. "Follow me, I'll show you the room." She slapped his rear when standing up and lead them upstairs. The stairs looked a bit weak, but they just about supported the weight of them. He wouldn't plan on using them often, though.
She lead him to a room down a hallway and they stepped inside. It was as neat as the rest of the house, and was decorated pink all over. The wallpaper was bright pink, and several stickers of unicorns and rainbows adorned it. The furniture had many princess dolls atop of them, each one with their own unique dress and accessories.
The bed was rather small, at least for someone his height, and was as pink as the rest of the room. The bedsheet had picture of a cartoon kitty, as did the pillows. It was cute, he'd give it that.
He looked at her with an eyebrow raised, which he responded to with an embarrassed shrug.
"It was a phase," she grumbled.
[/]
Walking through blizzards, and now mountain climbing.
Nora certainly knew how to live.
She woke him the next morning telling him to grab a pair of hiking boots. Her dad kept a pair in his wardrobe, and thankfully they were his size. She told him that they would be hiking up a mountain to get to their final stop. Thankfully, it wasn't one of the big ones, but he knew it wasn't gonna be easy.
He asked her why they were doing this, and her response was a little cryptic at first.
"You wanna meet my parents, don't you? Well, this is how we meet them."
"I thought you said you couldn't find your folks?"
"I didn't, but I made something to remember them by. I built it at the top of a mountain, sorta like they could watch over things.
"You built something?"
"Yup. I can build, I can clean, I can break. I can do it all, baby. Now grab the boots, we gotta a long walk ahead.
At least she wasn't cryptic about the walk. It was long and hard, and going uphill didn't help either. The boots worked a lot better than his sneakers, but the aches in his legs were still present. This must've been why lots of people complained about 'leg day'. He never really understood that until now. He just thought all exercise was a nuisance.
The snow wasn't as heavy as what it was yesterday, but it still made things difficult. He didn't know if he would ever get used to this kind of weather. Maybe this was why Weiss was so miserable all the time. Atlas was famed for it's cold weather, so that meant a lot of snow. No wonder she hated being called 'Snow Angel'. There was nothing holy about the weather.
Much like before, Nora paid little mind to the weather. With her walking on ahead, she was able to pave a way for Jaune, which made walking a little easier.
"How are you keeping?" she called down to him.
"As long as you don't start kicking snow down, I'm good," he called back.
"Don't tempt me. I might start shouting loud enough to cause an avalanche~"
"I will pay you as anything not to do that."
"Fine, might slow me down anyway." Yeah, sure, that was her biggest concern. Her sense of humour ranged from funny to scary at times.
"How far is it, anyway?" He wasn't complaining, even if it might've sounded like he was. Although, if they were nearly there, he wouldn't complain.
"Probably just another twenty minutes. You're not getting cold feet, are you?"
"Is that supposed to be a pun?"
"I'll let you figure it out," she sang. Oh God, was she getting her humour from Yang? At this rate, he'd turn out as mad as her.
They kept hiking for a little while longer, when they felt the ground shake beneath their feet. Jaune nearly lost his footing, only being supported by the hiking stick that he had found with the boots. Some of the snow fell downhill and made trying to stay upright even more difficult.
"Nora?" he called up to her.
"Wasn't me," she called honestly. "I dunno what that was."
The ground trembled again, more violently this time. The snow shook all around them and even Nora had trouble standing straight. They looked all around them to see what was causing it, but to no avail.
It was only when they heard an ear-piercing caw, that they decided to look up at the sky.
Swooping over the head of the mountain was a giant Nevermore, it's body blocking the sun for a brief moment. The rush of wind as it passed overhead was so powerful, it had them tumbling down with snow falling after them.
Jaune tried to grip onto the grass for support, but his fingers went numb from the snow. He turned his head to see Nora tumble past him. Her arms were flailing out for anything to grab onto.
"Nora!" he shouted, reaching out for her in an attempt to a catch her. Unfortunately, he didn't have the reach to even touch her, and his attempt to grab her had him falling down with her.
They tumbled all the way back down to the summit and the snow landed on them, burying the pair underneath it. Jaune's body went into overdrive in trying to escape, lest he be trapped and freeze to death. He started hacking his way out with the hiking stick, cutting through the snow desperately. A lot of it fell into his eyes and mouth, chilling him even more, but he kept moving.
After this, he would be so done with snow.
His head popped out and he gasped for breath. The chill of the wind didn't feel nearly as cold as what it was underneath that snow.
"Nora!" he shouted, hoping that she made it out safely. "Nora, can you hear me!?"
Snow exploded around him, flying at all angles. He shielded his face with his arms to protect himself from the substance. When he brought his arms down, he saw her standing proudly with Magnhild slung over her shoulder.
"Loud and clear, silly," she laughed. "You worry too much, you know that?"
He laughed nervously at her enthusiasm. "You brought Magnhild with you?"
She winked. "Never leave home without it. You never know when a Grimm might strike."
That actually made sense. He felt like an idiot not bringing Crocea Mors with him. Granted, he hadn't expected the day to turn out like this, but come on. He was a huntsman! His weapon should be practically glued to his hip!
Ah well, Nora was better with her weapon than he was with his, anyway. If anyone was gonna be fighting, it ought to be her. And besides, he doubted he'd even be able to wield his weapon with how numb his fingers were.
"Speaking of Grimm, how are we gonna take out that thing?" she pointed up to the sky to see the Nevermore circling them. "I dunno about you, but I don't wanna be around when that thing starts dropping feathers."
She had a good point. They were standing in very open ground. If they didn't find cover, they'd be sitting ducks.
"We gotta find a way to make it land," he said. "Try shooting it's wings. If we can get it on the ground, we'll have an easier time fighting it."
"Got it," she grinned, transforming Magnhild into its grenade launcher form. Those things weren't the most accurate of firearms, but as long as she could hit it, she could deal it some serious damage.
She started firing up at the sky, the grenades leaving a trail of pink smoke behind them. Jaune took cover behind the trees, just in case it started launching feathers. He didn't like the idea of hiding, but he was useless in his current state. It was better for him to get out of the way.
After several misses, a few struck their target. They heard it's scream all the way from down where they were. If they didn't kill it quickly, it's caw might cause another avalanche.
It wobbled about in the sky, before making its descent to the ground. He had to give her credit, she knew how to put her destructive potential to good use. She was already cheering at her good fortune of bringing down the beast.
But something was wrong. Looking closely, it seemed to be that Nevermore was aiming it's fall towards them. Almost like it was…
"Nora, run!" he bellowed, realising the danger. "That thing's trying to charge use!"
"Oh, crap, that's not good." Even she had to recognise the danger they were in. They began sprinting through the snow as fast as they could, but it felt like the white substance was dragging them into the ground.
They felt the Nevermore getting closer to them. It's great shadow began developing their bodies, and they saw it stretch across the horizon. They heard the crashing of trees behind them. There was no way they were gonna be able to outrun this thing.
There had to be another way. If he didn't think of something fast, they we're gonna be bird food. Did Grimm even need food? Arh, don't think about that now. Think of a way to survive!
Okay, so they were already failing at outrunning it. Maybe there was a way to trick it, or hide from it. Then again, it probably would just hunt them down until it found them. Grimm were stubborn that way. No, they had to kill it, but it was just a matter of how…
An idea came to mind.
"Nora, do you trust me?"
"As far as I can throw you. Which is pretty far, actually-"
"Good, because we're gonna climb on this thing."
She turned and looked at him like he had grown a second head. "We're gonna ride the Nevermore? Are you being serious?"
"It'll be the only way we can finish it off," he panted. "When I say duck, hit the deck but grab onto it as it flies over us. Then we can hack away at it's body until it dies."
"You know, we could fall of this thing..."
"That's what our landing strategies are for, right?" he laughed in between taking huge breaths of air. Thankfully, he had perfected his landing strategy a long time ago. Nora was a very… effective teacher. Pyrrha was always waiting to catch him every time Nora threw him off a roof. "So, whaddaya say?"
She grinned maniacally. "Tell me when it's time for take off, Captain."
He knew she would say yes to something like this. She lived on thrills the same way humans relied on oxygen to survive.
The Nevermore cawed again as it got closer to them. He could almost feel it's hot breath down the back of his neck. In this weather, he normally would have welcomed any kind of heat, but this one spelled death for them if they weren't careful. He was just thankful it had chosen a more physical approach to hunting them, rather than just shoot them with feathers.
He turned behind him briefly and saw it's red eyes locked onto to his. Its beak was already trying to snap at them, and it began to raise its talons to snatch them up. From the way it blocked the sunlight with it's body, it was like starting at a giant flying shadow.
Now was probably a good time to act.
"Duck!" he bellowed as they both dropped to the ground, covering their hands over their heads. The talons just barely missed them, snatching up at thin air. Furious, the Nevermore began to make its ascent to try again at grabbing them, giving the pair the opening they needed.
Its tail dragged the ground slightly as it began flying upwards. The pair seized the opportunity by grabbing onto it and hanging on for dear life. Thank God it had thick feathers to hold onto, otherwise they would have fallen the moment it started undulating.
The wind in his face nearly took his breath away. He knew these things flew fast, but he never imagined he'd feel this kind of speed. It felt like his face was trying to fly off his head. He never really liked roller coasters, and this was probably as extreme as it got. He wondered if Ruby felt the same way when using her Semblance.
"This is awesome!" Nora cheered, already starting to climb the bird. Trust her to enjoy herself at a time like this. This was his plan and he was already hating it.
"We gotta get to its head," he screamed over the wind. "You gotta smash that thing with Magnhild."
If Nora heard him, she didn't respond. Mind you, she had enough sense to know where a Nevermore's weak spot was. Now it was just a case of getting there…
Don't look down, don't look down, DON'T LOOK DOWN!
That one thought played on repeat in his mind, screaming at him to just keep going forward. He didn't even have the time to feel any motion sickness, though he might end up vomiting from the adrenaline. If this worked, he swore he would never, ever, do this shit again.
The Nevermore must have sensed them on them and tried shaking them off. It dipped and twirled in the sky, cawing angrily in the process. Trying to hold on was becoming unbearable, and he nearly ended up losing his grip. He held onto its back with one hand and caught a glimpse of the world below them.
How high could this thing fly!? The mountains we're beginning to look like tiny specks on the ground. He didn't think he had a fear of heights before, but this fight was certainly helping with that. If he fell, he didn't know if a landing strategy could even help. Not unless the snow shielded his fall.
He tore his gaze away from the ground and looked up to see Nora. His girlfriend had made her way to its neck and was so close to it's head. He started climbing up to join her, as difficult as it was. She began raising Magnhild above her head, but turned back to look at him.
"Stay back," she shouted. "You might wanna hold onto something."
Before bringing the hammer down though, she pulled out something from her pocket. He could just barely make out what it was - a taser.
"What's that fo-" he never got the chance to finish his sentence as she jabbed the thing into her stomach.
She lit up like a christmas tree. Her whole body was glowing with energy and her hair was standing tall and spiky. The air around her began to crackle and spark from the energy she was producing. He actually had to shield his eyes for a moment.
When he looked back at her, her whole body was surging with electrical energy. Her eyes were glowing and sparks were emitting from her body. He could feel her power even all the way from where he was. At this moment, she looked like the living embodiment of electricity.
Despite the cold, it was her smile she sent him that had him shivering. "Brace yourself, Jauney Boy, cause it's time for emergency landing." She laughed like a maniac, before bringing her hammer down on the doomed bird's head.
An explosion of sparks lit up the sky. Lighting rained down from the Nevermore and hammered down on the earth below them. The noise of the electrical explosion was deafening, as if the heavens themselves were at war with each other.
Jaune had seen many explosions during his life as a hunter. Some he caused, some he just got caught up in. But none were as loud and felt as powerful as the one that just went off. It felt like it had the power to split an island in half.
I'm dating a walking nuke, he thought. He always knew that, he just never thought he'd live to see the boom.
He was left so spellbound by the explosion, he didn't realise he was rapidly falling through the air. The explosion must have sent him flying backwards, but he didn't have the sense to care. His sense of wonder hadn't worn off yet.
…
… Okay, the moment was gone. Now he could start screaming.
He flayed his arms and legs in the air with the grace of a drunk ballerina, screaming for whatever god existed to save him. He wasn't ready to become a stain on the ground just yet.
His prayers were answered by a ginger girl hurling herself towards him.
Nora was coming at him like a comet. Her Semblance was still in effect, as she used the last bit of her energy to reach out and save him. She left a blue streak of electricity behind her as she dive bombed through the sky.
When he was in reach, she pulled him into a bridal carry position and aimed her descent towards the top of one of the mountains.
"Hold on tight," she laughed, to which he gladly did so. They were rapidly approaching the ground and Jaune prayed she had a good enough landing strategy to support the both of them.
They hit the ground with enough force to send cause a shockwave around them. The snow around them went flying and the earth cracked underneath their feet. Even a few trees nearby shook from the power of their landing.
Jaune had his eyes covered during the fall, and when he opened them again, he saw they had left a small crater in the earth. He looked up at his savour, seeing her smug smile gazing down on him.
"Thank you for flying with Valkyrie Airlines," she beamed. "Please exit the vehicle now." She finished the last bit by dropping him into the snow.
"Nora," he began whilst coughing up snow. "Next time I suggest something like that again… hit me with Magnhild to knock some sense into me."
"Are you kidding me!? That was awesome!" She was still buzzing from the rush of the battle. "It's no wonder you're our leader with plans like that. Next time, we gotta do this with the whole team."
"They'd probably mutiny if I told them to do that," he laughed. He dusted himself off and looked around. They had landed on a mountain top that seemed to overlook most of the island. He could even see Ragnard in the distance, albeit faintly.
Now he just had to think about how they were gonna get back down. He didn't want to risk fighting another Nevermore right now, as they were prime targets at such a height. Plus, he really didn't feel like going for an airborne rodeo again.
"No way," he heard Nora gasp. "I know where we are!"
"You do?" He knew she had good knowledge of the land, but he didn't know it was that good. "How can you tell?"
"Look behind you."
Jaune turned to see what she was talking about. Standing at about average height were two stone statues of a man and a woman. The rock had been delicately chipped away at - almost expertly, even - to show the stone forms of a very muscular man carrying a battleaxe, and a woman with a bow in her hand.
Every detail had been paid close attention too, from the bushiness of the man's beard, to the wild look in the woman's eyes. Whoever had made these statues was clearly passionate about their work. They stood stood facing over the edge of the mountain, looking down on the land below.
It took him about to seconds to recognize who they were.
"Jaune Arc, say hello to Mama and Papa Valkyrie," she cheered. "I know they've been looking forward to seeing you."
Jaune approached the statues, slightly in awe of the work put into them. They looked like pieces of art from where he was standing. The sculptor had made them look as powerful as what they probably were when they were alive.
Suddenly, he remembered why they came out here today. The fight with the Nevermore had kinda threw him out of a loop, but now he remembered why they had climbed the mountain to being with.
"This is what you wanted to show me?" he looked back to his beaming girlfriend. "You mean to tell me you made these?"
"With my own two hands," she said triumphantly. "You have no idea how much of a pain it was carrying stone up here."
Jaune stepped closer to the statutes. He was almost afraid to touch them, they were so impressive. "Nora, I… these are incredible," he marveled. She really was a woman of many talents.
She blushed under the praise. "Well, I mean, I think I did a good job," she giggled. "I probably made Dad's beard too long, and Mom had actually never used a bow in her life. I just thought it would look cool."
"Even still, these are fantastic." He turned round to her beaming. "I just know that they would've loved these."
She squirmed a little in her spot. "Hehe, it feels weird someone else complimenting me on my work." she said slightly embarrassed. "Can't say I'm used to it."
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No, no, it feels nice. I… did put a lot of effort into it." She walked to his side to stare at the statues. She looked at them with a smile on her face. "Y'know, I can tell they would've approved of you."
"I hope so," he laughed. "They'd probably kill me if they didn't."
"Nah, they were pretty chilled about things." She walked past him and rested her hand on the statue of her father. "I don't miss them as much as what I probably should," she continued. "Maybe it was because I was too young to remember everything, but I like to think it's because of this place. Coming here makes me feel more in touch with them, if you know what I mean."
He understood. Ruby had once told him how often she visited her mother's grave and talked to it. Some might have seen it as creepy, but really, it was just a way of keeping her memory alive.
"Hell, sometimes I forget that they're even dead at all," she laughed. "They might be physically dead, but the way I see it, having these things here helps them live on. It just goes to show that you can't keep a Valkyrie down forever."
One thing he loved about her was her optimism. Even after everything she had been through, she still had the strength to carry on smiling.
"You know, they could still be alive," he said gently. She did say she never found them that night, after all. "They might still be out there, looking for you."
She shook her head sadly. "I doubt it," she sighed. "It's just been too long. It's better to just face facts than to hold on hold on to hope for too long. I mean, it'd be nice to know if they're still alive, but I'm not exactly holding my breath."
That was fair enough. He'd probably act the same way. Besides, she looked at peace with the fact that they were probably gone. If she thought they might still be alive, she'd scour all of Remnant looking for them. She wasn't the type to just wait by the window.
She stood by his side once again and took her hand in his. The sun broke through the clouds, shining down on the mountain top. They stood in the shadows of the statues, looking at them with respect. Needless to say, Jaune felt it was worth facing the cold to see the sight before him.
"Thanks for coming with me," she said softly to him.
"No problem," he said. "So, when's the next time we're coming here? I plan to dress a lot warmer next time around." And at the very least bring his sword with him.
She smiled sweetly at him and gently tapped his nose with her index finger.
"Boop."
Thanks for reading. I was a little worried I was writing Nora a little ooc for a while, though that might be due to the fact that most fics (and the show) portray her as shouting weird stuff about sloths and pancakes. Thankfully, V4 did show she could be serious when the situation calls for it, so I decided to work a little off of that.
Up next will be Pyrrha's chapter, and yes, it will be a light hearted romance. I'm not gonna pull another 'Heartstrings' on you, as I don't like using the same twist twice xD. In fact, I'll probably include my reason for writing it the way it was in the next chapter. Trust me, it wasn't because I wanted to do something as simple as troll you guys.
Thank you for reading.