And thus we begin the first chapter of the Filler Arc! (No pun intended) Man this week has been really hectic, celebrated my 20th birthday on the 14th, got a new and better job on the 15th, and caught a bad cold on the 16th! Man what a week! None the less, here are the results for the Polls as of late.
Coco - Female: 6 - Male: 2
Yatsuhashi - Female: 5 - Male: 1
Fox - Female: 3 - Male: 7
Just cast your votes in a review, as I can't seem to get the Poll's on my profile to work properly.
Seems like some people do want to see Coco as a dude. Female is still winning out for the majority of the team though. Remember that I now have a second poll going on for Volume 3 that is based around the Maidens.
My Idea to be revealed later: 1
Female Maidens and Male Knights: 1
[POLLS CLOSED]
DISCLAIMER: I do not own RWBY or any of it's affiliated characters.
Beacon Landing Platform
"Be careful with that you fool!" Winston shouted as he watched one of his workers drop the dust case he was carrying. "I was part of one explosion at this location, I would greatly appreciate if it never happened again!"
Ruby, Yang and, Blake watched as Winston ordered around a swarm of workers at the landing platform.
"Man... I would hate to work for him." Yang said as she crossed her arms.
"He seems to be under a great deal of stress." Blake said as she watched him shout at his workers to move faster.
"He's even more bossy than usual." Ruby said.
"I told you that this needed to be loaded by noon! It is now a quarter past and we still have yet to leave!" Winston shouted. "Why did you wait for me to arrive to begin loading!?" He demanded.
"He acts like being a little late could be the end of the world." Yang said. "The press conference isn't for another four days, and its only a twenty hour flight to atlas."
"The Schnee's have always valued punctuality." Blake said with a frown. "Everything a Schnee does must be perfect."
"Why is that?" Ruby asked as she turned to Blake.
"Because of the Schnee Patriarch."
"The what?" Yang and Ruby asked simultaneously.
"The Patriarch. The head of the Schnee family."
"Isn't that Winston?" Ruby asked as she tilted her head to the side.
Blake shook her head. "No. Winston is the head of the Schnee Dust Company, not the Schnee Patriarch. The Patriarch is the oldest and most respected Schnee male. If anything we've learned about Winston's father is true, we can assume that he is not the Patriarch."
"If not Winston or his father, then who?" Ruby asked.
"His grandfather." The three girls turned to see Jean walking up to them with Pyrrhus in tow.
"Hi Jean." Ruby said with a wave. "You said it was his grandfather?" She asked.
Jean nodded as she watched Winston direct a group of workers. "The Schnee's and the Arc's have been close since the end of the great war. I've met his family, and unless he passed away, the Patriarch should be Winston's grandfather."
"He never told us he had a grandfather." Ruby said as she looked to her team.
"He never told us that he had sister's until the other day. He's not exactly an open person." Blake said as she rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah..." Ruby said with a frown as she turned to look back at Jean. "So you've met his grandfather? What's he like?" She asked.
Jean frowned. "He's a very quiet man, very professional, but when Winston and I would play together as children, he was warm and kind." She said as she glanced up to Winston. "Winston always had the utmost respect for him, treated the man like he was something to be revered. Though, now that I think about it, I don't think he'd care for any of you." She finished as she looked back to Ruby.
Yang tilted her head to the side. "Why's that?" She asked.
"It's because half your team is Faunus." Jean said as she looked to each of the girls before her. "While Winston may be able to be in your presence, his family is less than happy with being in the vicinity of a Faunus."
Blake frowned. "I'm not even sure if Winston is happy to be around us." She said as she glanced over her shoulder to the boy.
"Alright! Everything is loaded boss!" One of the workers shouted.
"Excellent! Now then, everyone on board! We're leaving in five minutes!" Winston shouted as he grabbed his suitcase and walked towards the ramp.
"Bye Winston!" Ruby shouted as she waved to her partner.
Winston glanced over to her and raised a hand before entering the ship.
"Impressive. He actually waved to you." Yang said with a sarcastic tone.
Jean frowned as she watched Winston walk out of view. "I know he may seem mean, but he is actually a very nice person. I don't know what happened to cause him to act like this."
The group covered their ears as the engines on Winston's ship roared to life and began to lift it into the air.
"What's going on!? It hasn't been five minutes!" Ruby shouted as she watched the ship begin to leave the area.
Once the ship was a sufficient distance away, they uncovered their ears and watched as it's engines shifted back and propelled the ship forward.
"He was sure impatient." Blake said with a scowl as she watched his ship pass over the mountain. "Hope he didn't forget anyone."
"Winston never really was good with waiting." Jean said with a small smile.
Pyrrhus leaned down and whispered something into Jean's ear, causing her face to light up.
"Oh yeah!" She shouted as she looked down to Ruby. "I just got some amazing news from my parents!" she cheered as she grabbed Ruby by her hands.
"What's the news?" Yang asked with a grin as she saw Jean bouncing up and down.
"My older brother is getting married!" She squealed.
"Congratulations to him then." Yang said as she crossed her arms.
"That's not all." Pyrrhus said as he began to grin. "Tell em." He said as he nudged Jean's shoulder.
"It's this Saturday! My parent's have sent a ship from Atlas to pick me up, and they said I could bring my friends from school! I want all of you to come with!" She shouted as she stopped bouncing and looked into Ruby's eyes. "You will come with right?" She asked.
Ruby turned and looked at the expressions on her teams face. Winston's announcement that he wouldn't be spending break with his team had hurt Ruby slightly, as she hoped that they would be able to bond after the incident at the docks.
"It's kind of short notice." Blake said as she looked to the others present.
"Yeah... Ruby and I were gonna go back to patch to visit our dad." Yang said as she frowned.
"But... But... But..." Jean said as she looked at the others with a frown.
"Actually Yang, dad sent us a letter the other day. He's going on a mission for a couple of weeks." Ruby said as she turned to look at her sister.
"So you can make it?!" Jean asked as she pulled Ruby closer to her.
Ruby looked to Yang who shrugged. "If dad's gonna be gone for a few weeks, then I have no problems with a free trip to Atlas."
Ruby turned back to Jean with a nervous grin. "I guess that means that we can go."
Jean's eyes went wide as she pulled Ruby into a hug and squealed. "This is great! My parents ship will be here in a few hours, so we better go pack!" She said happily.
Jean continued to talk to Ruby and Yang as Pyrrhus turned to Blake. "What about you? Are you going to join us in Atlas?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Blake shrugged. "I guess. My plan had originally been to stay here and read for the whole break."
"Buuuuut!" Yang said as she placed an arm around Blake's shoulder. "Now your going to come with us to a wedding!" She finished with a grin.
Blake sighed. "What she said."
"Great!" Pyrrhus said as he threw Akouo to the ground and stepped onto it. Jean rushed over and placed Crocea Mors on the ground before stepping onto it.
Ruby tilted her head to the side. "What are you guys doing?" She asked.
Jean turned back to Ruby with a grin. "Pyrrhus learned a new trick with his semblance." She said.
They all turned to Pyrrhus and saw him with his eyes closed. After a few moments of silence, His eyes shot open with a hazy black mist over them. The same mist covered the two shields as they began to lift into the air. Once he and Jean were a few feet off the ground, Pyrrhus moved his hand forwards, causing them to begin to fly towards the dorms.
Jean glanced back at them with a grin. "See you here in a few hours!" She shouted as they flew over the building.
Blake and Ruby's mouths were hanging open as they watched the two vanish from their line of sight.
"..." Blake said as she pointed up at where they had flown.
"T-they just flew..." Ruby said as she stared at the top of the building.
Yang crossed her arms and scowled as her wings stretched out. "Not that impressive." She muttered as she turned and flew off towards the CCT tower.
6 Hours Later
Team JNPR and RWBY, minus Winston, were standing at the Beacon landing platform staring up at the massive Atlas ship in awe.
"That's your parents ship!?" Yang shouted as she dropped her bags in shock.
Jean nodded with a smile. "Yep!" She chirped happily. "My parents wanted to make sure that I got home safe, so they sent the Nautilus!"
Blake turned to look at Jean in shock. "Did you just call that thing 'The Nautilus'?!" She demanded.
"Yep!" Jean said as she and her team began to gather their bags.
"How did your parent's manage to get the flagship of the Atlesian Military to fly here to collect you!?" She shouted as she hurried after her.
Jean frowned and turned away from Blake. "My father has a-lot of power over Atlas. He and the General are close friends, so I wouldn't be surprised if he offered to do it as a favor." Jean said as she tried to avoid Blake's questioning gaze.
"So who's your father?" Ruby asked as she followed behind her.
"He-"
"Ms. Arc!"
The group turned behind them to see Glynda Goodwitch and Professor Thorne walking towards them. Professor Thorne was carrying two large trunks over his shoulder and seemed to pay the group no mind as he continued towards them.
Upon reaching the group, Glynda stopped before Jean as Professor Thorne walked past them and crouched as he walked into the ship.
"I wish you would have informed us that Lily's ship had arrived." Glynda said as she crossed her arms.
Jean tilted her head to the side. "Lily? You know my mother?" Jean asked with a confused expression.
Glynda nodded. "I was on her team many years ago when we went to Atlas Academy together." She said. "She called me to inform me that your brother was getting married, and it happened to coincide with a trip I was planning back to Atlas." She finished as she walked past them.
"A trip?" Jean asked as she tuned and followed Glynda, almost tripping over her suitcase. "Your coming with us?" She questioned.
Glynda nodded again. "Yes. I am your brothers godmother. It would be rude of me not to fly out to congratulate him." She stopped and turned to show Jean her scroll. "I have an invitation to go to the wedding and my son and I have a room in the West wing."
"The West wing?" Jean asked as she looked up from Glynda's scroll. "Your staying at my home?" She asked.
"Yes." She stated as she turned and continued up the ramp.
"Wait!" Ruby called. Glynda stopped and glanced over to the small girl in red. "Why is professor Throne coming with us?" She asked.
Glynda raised an eyebrow. "As I said, my son and I are attending the wedding." She said as she continued into the ship.
The group stood on the ramp to the ship for a moment before a wave of realization hit them.
"Glynda is professor Thorne's mom!?" Ruby shouted as she turned to Yang.
"I didn't know!" Yang shouted back as she looked at her sister.
"How did she even give birth to him?" Nora asked as she looked up in thought.
"He can't be that big." Pyrrhus said as he crossed his arms. "He's probably normal sized when he's out of that massive armor."
"But what if he is?" Jean asked.
"That would certainly hurt." Blake said as she looked to the spots where professor Thorne had stepped onto the ramp, each mark easily noticeable by the small dents caused by the weight of his armor.
"I imagine that he was much smaller when he was born." Ren stated calmly as he ushered Nora and Jean towards the ship.
After JNPR had boarded the ship, Yang turned to Blake with a grin. "This weeks been just full of surprises, huh?" She said as she wrapped her arms around her team and forced them forward.
Aboard The Nautilus
"Wow Jean, your parents must be loaded." Yang said as she and the others reached the room that they were staying in. "I mean, it took us like five minutes of straight walking to reach our room! Even Winston's family didn't send a ship this big!" She finished as she flopped down on the nearby sofa.
Jean smiled as she sat down in a nearby chair. "I will admit, my mom and dad may have gone a bit overboard in sending the Nautilus, but they aren't usually this showy." Jean said as she waved off the comment.
"A bit overboard?" Blake asked as she looked to Jean. "They sent the Flagship of the Atlesian army! How could they have gone anymore overboard?!" She asked with a sarcastic tone.
"You keep saying 'Flagship', what does that mean?" Ruby asked as she sat down beside her sister.
Blake sat at the table in the center of the room and turned to her team. "A Flagship is the biggest or strongest ship owned by a military. In the case of the Nautilus however, it is one of the four legendary ships from before the Great War." She said as she watched Ruby's face for any sign of understanding.
"So... It's just a really old ship?" Nora asked as she and Ren sat down across from Blake.
Blake shook her head. "No, does the title 'legendary ship' sound like something normal?" She asked as she turned to Nora. "The Great War may have ended eighty years ago, it started a hundred and twenty years ago." Blake started as she pulled out a book from her bag.
"When the war started over a century ago there were four kingdoms. Vacuo, Minstral, Vale, and Mantle. With the support of it's massive military, and it's advanced technology, Mantle declared a war that would wipe out all forms of expressions from the world, hoping that with the lack of emotion, the Grimm would be unable to attack us."
Jean frowned as she listened to Blake's story. She had hoped to stop being taught history after professor Oobleck left for his expedition. "At the start, Vale and Minstral ignored Mantle, allowing it to take Vacuo with little effort. However, after noticing that Mantle would not stop there, they joined together to fight the oncoming threat." She continued as she flipped to another page in her book.
"The war continued on for thirty years, with Mantle losing ground to the allied kingdoms slowly over each year. By the thirtieth anniversary of the war, Mantle had been pushed back to it's own borders and Vacuo had been liberated. The allied kingdoms rejoiced, as they thought that the end of the war was close..." Blake said as she turned the page again.
"Just when the three kingdoms were celebrating, Mantle launched a surprise assault on Vale, nearly leveling the kingdoms capital. While information was scarce, one thing was repeated consistently through each report. Giant ship attacking! Send reinforcements!" Blake said as she repeated read the reports aloud. "Mantle had captured the greatest mind on all of Remnant, and had forced him to design a ship for them to fight with."
Blake flipped the page again and revealed a photo of four large ships, each barring a similar design, save the colors and placement of the weapons. "Mantle had forced the legendary shipwright Geppetto to build them a warship that could win the war for them. For Mantle, Geppetto created the Nautilus." Blake pointed to an image of the ship they were in presently.
"The Nautilus may have been refurbished since the day's of the war." Blake said as she glanced around the room at the accommodating living space, rather than that of soldiers living quarters. "When it was created, it was near unstoppable. The Nautilus turned the tide of the war drastically, cities would fall in a matter of days, natural barriers such as storms and mountains meant nothing to the great warship."
"In seven years, all the progress that the allied kingdoms had made was reversed. Mantle had retaken Vacuo and were advancing through Vale to Minstral, ready to take the final kingdom." Blake said as she flipped to the next chapter.
"What happened then?" Ruby asked as she listened closely to Blake.
"No one's really sure. Out of nowhere the Nautilus was shot down. Mantle's forces were in disarray as they watched the invincible ship crash to the ground. It was then that Vale and Minstral made their move. From over the mountains came two equally massive ships, followed by a combined army of Vale and Minstral warships. Vale's Flagship 'The Leviathan', and Minstral's Flagship 'The Ark' had been built after the allied kingdoms had acquired the plans to the Nautilus, and managed to down the great warship in seconds." Blake finished as she flipped to the next chapter.
"As the Leviathan pushed forward into Mantle, the Ark pushed across Vale into Vacuo and retook the third kingdom. With Vacuo's prototype Flagship, the Argo online, the alliance pushed into Mantle, set in their plan to take down the kingdom and end the long war." Blake said as she flipped to the next page. "When the alliance reached the capital of Mantle, they found the leaders of the kingdom had been overthrown, and were presented to the alliance as an offering of peace."
"Who overthrew them?" Yang asked as she sat up from where she was laying.
"Geppetto." Jean said from the other side of the room. "The same man who smuggled the plans for his ship out of Mantle and allowed the other three kingdoms to build their own Flagship. He was originally from Vacuo, and had been opposed to what was being done by Mantle's government. After he gained a substantial following, he lead a rebellion that in just one week took Mantle's leaders from their positions of power." She finished as she looked back to Blake. "Go on, tell them the rest." She said as she encouraged Blake to continue.
Blake raised an eyebrow as she glanced over to Jean. "Yes... As Jean said, Geppetto had lead a rebellion that freed Mantle from the control of it's warring government. Once the other three kingdoms reached Mantle they demanded that the kingdom surrender all of it's land and citizens to be split amongst the three victorious kingdoms." Blake said as she turned back to Ruby.
"But, there are four kingdoms right now. How did Atlas appear?" She asked.
"Well, it was still another three years until the war officially ended. Most of Mantle's forces were robots similar to those that are used by Atlas today and were programmed to attack anyone that wasn't a civilian of Mantle or one of it's annexed territories. When the leaders of Mantle refused to deactivate them, it took another three years to find and destroy all of the robots and bases that they had hidden." Blake said as she turned to the final page.
"During those three years, Geppetto discussed a peace treaty with the leaders of the other three kingdoms. They were defiant at first, but after realizing that they had only been successful in the war due to Geppetto's assistance, they agreed to his terms." Blake turned to book around and handed it to Ruby, who began to immediately look through the pictures on the page. "Three years later, on Vytal, Geppetto and the leaders signed a treaty of peace, and with Geppetto becoming the new king of Mantle. His first action, was to Change the name of the Kingdom from Mantle to Atlas, in order to distance his kingdom from the horrors it had spawned from." Blake finished as she pointed to the photo of Geppetto and the other leaders signing the Vytal treaty.
"And that was the end of the Great War." She stated as she moved back to her chair.
"Wow..." Ruby said as she looked over the pictures.
Blake frowned. "If you'd pay attention in Oobleck's class, maybe you'd know this already." She scolded.
Ruby's eye scanned over the picture until her eyes landed on something at Geppetto's side. She narrowed her eyes and closely examined it before turning to Jean.
"Hey Jean?" She called.
Jean turned to Ruby with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?" She asked.
"Could you hold up Crocea Mors?" She asked.
Jean glanced to Pyrrhus for a moment before standing and presenting her shield to Ruby.
Ruby examined the shield before she looked down at the picture again. "Where did you say you got it?" Ruby asked as she looked up to Jean.
"My great-great grandfather used it in the Great War." Jean said as she placed it back on her hip. "Why?"
Ruby took the book and turned the page to face Jean and Blake. "Then why is Geppetto using Crocea Mors?" She asked.
"It is because Lady Jean is the descendant of King Geppetto." A man said as he strode into the room with two men in chef uniforms behind him. He turned to Jean with a smile and bowed to her. "My lady it is good to see you again. I do hope you'll pardon the intrusion, but the chef's wanted to take your orders for dinner tonight before it got too much later."
Jean turned to the man with a large smile. "It is good to see you again Alfred. I trust that my sister's haven't given you too much trouble?" Jean asked as she looked to the man.
He was a large man, standing about six and a half feet in height, with a full butlers uniform, including a black tailcoat and bow tie. He had short grey hair that was receding slightly as he aged, to the point that it was about a centimeter above his forehead. He had black dress shoes and a bushy grey mustache similar to that of professor Port. He stood at attention with his feet together and a cheerful look on his face.
Alfred pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and whipped a small amount of sweat from his forehead. "Your sisters act just as you did when you were young." He said with a sigh. "All of you get into so much mischief around the kingdom that I have a hard time cleaning it up. Why couldn't you all have been more like your older brother?" He wept as he closed his eyes.
Jean chuckled as she walked over and gave the tall man a hug. "It is good to see that your still healthy." She said as she looked up at his face. Jean turned to look at her friends with a big smile. "Well guys, this is Alfred. He's been the head butler for my family since before my brother was even born." She said as she moved to the side to let them see Alfred.
...
...
...
"YOUR THE PRINCESS!?" They all shouted in shock over the news they had just heard.
Jean jumped back as their sudden outburst startled her. "I-I didn't tell you?!" She asked as she moved behind Alfred.
They all shook their heads as their mouths were all hanging open.
Blake and Yang shared a look as the realization crossed their faces. "My father has a-lot of power in Atlas..." Yang repeated Jean as she looked to Blake.
"My father is good friend's with the General..." Blake responded as she turned to jean. "You've been dropping hint's to your family's heritage the whole time, we just never figured it out." She said as she looked to her in surprise.
"In my defense!" Jean started as she poked her head out from behind Alfred. "I thought I had told all of you already!"
"How do you gloss over something like, 'oh by the way, I'm the princes of Atlas' ?!" Yang asked as she stood up from her seat on the couch.
"Did Winston know?" Ruby asked as she looked to Jean.
Jean nodded. "Winston and I have played together since we were babies. Alfred's little brother is the head butler to the Schnee family." Jean said as she turned to look at her butler.
"Sebastian?" Blake asked as she stood from the table.
Jean and Alfred looked to her with surprise. "Why yes! How did you know?" Alfred asked as he looked to Blake.
Blake glanced down to the book in her hand before responding. "I heard Winston talking to him over the phone."
Alfred smiled as he turned to look around the rest of the room. "It is good to hear that Master Winston still speaks with Sebastian. Now then, the chefs will now take your orders." Alfred said as he backed away and allowed the chefs to roam the room with their menu's.
"Oh! Yang, look at the desserts! A triple chocolate chip cookie in an hot fudge sundae, topped with whipped cream!" Ruby said as she was practically drooling over the picture of the sweets.
Yang ignored her sister's behavior and pointed to what she saw and liked. "Forget the sweets, look at that steak! 14 oz Porterhouse topped with grilled onions, with a side of baked potatoes and corn on the cob!"
"PANCAKES!" Nora shouted from across the room. "Ren they have Pancakes! Look!" She stated as she forced his head down into the menu.
"Nora... That's the breakfast menu." Ren said as he lifted his head off of the sheet.
"If Nora want's pancakes then I'm sure the chef's will make them, right?" Jean asked as she turned to look at Alfred.
"Of course they will my lady! Men! Some hotcakes for Ms. Valkyrie!" Alfred said as he clapped his hands together. The chefs went around the room collecting the menu's and taking the orders before following Alfred out the door.
Before he shut the door, Alfred turned to look at Jean. "Should you need anything else my lady, you need merely to call." He said as he bowed one final time and shut the door.
The group shared an awkward silence as they each looked to one an another, then to jean. Finally, Yang turned to Blake with a half grin and spoke.
"Well would you look at that, another big surprise. I doubt they have much less that can catch us off guard!" Yang stated confidently as she claimed a spot at the table for when her steak arrived.
The Next Day
Arc Castle Landing Platform
The Nautilus touched down outside a massive stone castle that had been carved out of a mountain at the edge of the city of Atlas. The castle itself dwarfed the mountain as the towers rose well above it's peak, and the wall surrounding it stretched around the entire city. In the distance were some large buildings, likely workshops and factories just outside the walls.
To the left of the castle was a smaller building at the foot of the mountain, with an easily recognizable symbol on it's flag.
"Look! it's Winston's house!" Ruby shouted as she pointed through the window. Each of the people in the room turned to look down at the Schnee Castle.
It was certainly large, there was no denying that fact, and although it was significantly smaller than Jean's castle, it still was about half as large as Beacon.
*Knock Knock Knock*
The group turned to see the door to their room slide open revealing Alfred standing there with several carts.
"I shall have the staff take the Lady's friends bags to their rooms." He said as he bowed to Jean. "The Queen called ahead and wishes for me to inform you that your brother and hie fiance will be waiting at the landing platform when we arrive."
Jean's face lit up as she turned to Pyrrhus and her team. "Oh I can't wait for you guys too meet my brother! He was the top of his class at Atlas Academy when he graduated!" She said as she grabbed Pyrrhus and started to drag him towards the door.
Pyrrhus looked back to the group and waved for them to follow before Jean pulled him out of sight.
Yang looked to her sister with a grin. "Well she sounds excited!"
Ruby nodded her head in agreement. "We finally get to meet Jean's family! And we can surprise Winston at his house once the wedding is over!" She said happily as she and Nora followed Jean and Pyrrhus off the ship.
Ren sighed and followed his partner, leaving Blake and Yang alone in the ship. Yang turned to Blake with a raised eyebrow.
"You gonna be okay?" She asked. "I know that the Fang isn't exactly fond of Atlas or it's leaders."
Blake shook her head. "I'll be fine. I've known Jean for a few weeks now, I don't believe she could hurt someone if she wanted to."
Yang patted Blake on the back with a laugh before pushing her forward. "That's the spirit! Now come on, I want to see if Jean's brother is anything to look at."
These filler chapters might be shorter than some of my other chapters, simply because I want to spread them out and keep you all entertained. I will introduce Jean's brother and Winston's sister's in the next chapter, as well as explain a bit more in detail as to how Glynda is professor Thorne's mother.
To those of you who saw his Bio on my profile and thought they knew about him in this story, I have updated it to throw you all off.
The Professor Thorne from 'Everything Has Changed', and the Leo Throne from 'Five months later' are two completely different people, linked only by a name.
As always, leave me a review if you enjoyed this chapter, and tell me what you thought about the first filler chapter. Remember to cast your votes for CFVY and for the Maidens.
