Calling Ren's village a village was probably an understatement.
The 'village' was more like a small town, with a thousand houses or so, and the reason they called it a village, according to Ren, is because the name of the town in Ren's native tongue was literally 'village between mountains" and the name stuck. Thankfully they had plenty of space to land the Schnee airship this time, and as the sun started setting they set foot in Ren's homeland.
Except Pyrrha and Yang, the duo more likely stomped in.
"Come on, are you two really going to do this?" Jaune rushed behind them as the girls ignored him. The knight groaned and passed them to stop his girlfriends. "Why are you two so angry?"
"I don't know Jaune. Maybe because you didn't tell me, your partner, of your past endeavors." Pyrrha said first, arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Yeah, JAUNE. And you, for some reason, don't want to tell us all the dirty details." Yang added, making Jaune almost scream in frustration.
"I love you two!" He shouted, making the two girls stare wide eyed at him and blush. "The past is the past, I don't care about it. It is the same reason why I don't care about your past love life because I am in love with you two and right now and in the foreseeable future I just want to be with my blonde and redhead loves."
The girls hesitated for a moment, processing what he just said and they both felt silly for letting something like that get on them. They took a deep breath before hugging the boy tight, and they would have kept at that if their friends didn't interrupt them.
"Yay! Everyone is friends again!" Nora shouted, making them laugh and turn towards her.
"You know, since you two know about Jaune's… status, it would be more than fair if you told him yours." Blaked deadpanned making the two girls blush and point accusatory fingers towards her, amusing the Faunus girl.
"They don't have to as I don't care." Jaune affirmed receiving kisses from the two girls.
"Thank heavens, because if we kept talking about such things I would make you all get to Mistral on foot!" Weiss hissed at them, her face still sporting a few tints of red around her cheeks.
"But, you can't get to Mistral on foot…" Ruby spoke as she scratched her head.
"Arc is a sailor; he can take them by boat." Weiss simple stated making everyone laugh again, relieve the awkward mood finally was dispelled.
"OK, now it is time to have fun! You all will love the food around; they mix so much tasty stuff!" Nora started, making the honors of being their guide instead of Ren. The boy was more than happy to allow her to.
They walked towards the biggest building in the town, admiring the decorated streets with paper lamps of many colors. There was an exotic atmosphere around as everyone used clothes similar to Ren's for the men and beautiful colorful dresses for the girls. It also was filled with nice smells of food being prepared in stands along the way, and only by sheer determination and Weiss' scaring them both that Nora and Ruby didn't stopped in every single food stand to buy something.
They finally arrived at the central square, where a huge bonfire was being erected, and were many street artists performed. As they admired the sight, someone shouted in their direction, and they turned around to see a burly tall man approaching and giving Ren a big hug.
"Lie Ren! You finally arrived, big brother!"
"Good to see you again, Lie Ran." Ren told his brother back before they finally separated. Ran was taller than Ren, stronger, and had a more squared face. His hair was kept shorter except by the long braid in the back.
"Nora!"
"Me!" Nora also hugged Ran, and they laughed as she was the one spinning the boy around.
"Good to see you in good health, Ran."
"I must say the same, Ren. But… I am very sorry about this."
Ren didn't have time to question as he saw them coming. He immediately stiffed, and so did Nora, for everyone's surprise. A bald man with a full black beard approached, wearing clothes almost identical to what Ren was wearing. By his side was a stunning lady with long black hair and porcelain white skin in a proper red dress, a decorated fan on her hand. She smiled warmly at the group, while the man gave them an amused stare.
"It is good to see you again, Lie Ren." The man said in a proper tone. Ren gave him a small head bow.
"Good to see you in good health, father. You too, mother." There was a moment of stunned silence between them and Ren's parents.
"So, this is the friends you brought with you. Good to see you in good health, Nora Valkyrie."
"Good to see you in good health, Lie Han and Lie Jun. Thanks for receiving me." Nora spoke in a very proper manner, almost like she was afraid of them, a surprising change for her that didn't go unnoticed by everyone else.
"Now come, you all are guests to my house tonight. There you all could give me a proper introduction and tell me all about my son's life in foreign lands." Han stated as he gestured to be followed.
…
It was to everyone surprises that Ren was the son of the head of town. He was always the silent type, and they never asked him much about his personal life. Or about Nora's, as a matter of fact. They probably just took them at face value, and seeing them now acting all properly before Ren's parents was a bit of a surprised to everyone.
Ren's house was actually the big house close to the main square, an elegant one story house with a beautiful garden in its center. The group was taking to the dinner hall, a spacious place with two long tables in the middle and one smaller one on top. In the smaller one sat the Lie family, with Ren by his father's side and Ran by his mother's. The teens sat with Pyrrha, Jaune and Yang on the table closer to Ren and the rest on the opposite table, Nora at the very end.
Soon a great range of typical food arrived, filling the room in pleasant smells. It was quite amusing to see the guests, except for Blake and Nora, having trouble with the chopsticks, especially Ruby. But the meal passed in merriment, with them all sharing with Ren's family many stories of their first year in Beacon. Ran was especially pleased about it, laughing at many of Ren's less heroic moments. Jun many times give worried looks when a particular dangerous event come into the talk.
Lie Han mostly only listened to the tales, at most just giving a nod, chuckling briefly or making a few questions.
What everyone of the Beacon kids noticed was that Nora barely spoke during the meal, mostly only answering questions, and she had a very sad look on her face. Pyrrha was especially worried as before they arrived Nora couldn't shut up about all the fun they were going to have and now she looked almost dejected. Things didn't improve for her when they finished dinner and now were having tea.
"So, I am glad you are enjoying your time at Beacon and becoming a stronger warrior, my son." Lie Han started to speak. "It seems you are properly enjoying your youth and that pleases me. But now we must go into urging matters. Son, you are of age now, and with the lunar year coming to an end, and the New Year festivities about to start, I think it is an appropriate time to make your engagement to Sung Yi from the neighbor village official."
There was another moment of shocked silence.
Nora seemed about to cry, while Ren just arched an eyebrow.
"I thought we agreed that the marriage wouldn't happen until I graduate from Beacon, father." Ren asked politely. If the news affected him, the boy didn't show.
"And that still holds true, Lie Ren. You won't marry till you finish your studies and is strong enough to protect our people from the Grimm. But this is just an engagement announcement, one that certainly will bring joy to the people both on our village and hers. Tomorrow your bride to be will come so you too can meet. I suggest we all retire for the night since it is late, and I am certain you all want to enjoy your day tomorrow. Goodnight, children, and that only good dreams comes with your sleep."
Lie Han stood up and bowed slightly at them, leaving with his wife behind, but she spared a small glance of concern towards her son and Nora. A maid approached and called for them as she was going to guide them to the guest rooms. Nora didn't hesitate in getting up and following her, soon followed by her female friends, and lastly by the males. Jaune looked at Ren, which just gestured that he wouldn't talk at that moment.
The maid took them to the side of the house, were she left the girls in a spacious room with several futons laid down. Their luggage was already there, and as the boys and the maid left, they started to change into their sleeping attires. Nora still seemed gloomy, but wasn't talking, and that prompted Pyrrha to go to her.
"Nora…"
"I am OK. Ren and I are just friends; we were never together-together. Come on, no need to be said, it is not like him and me were ever going to be a thing or we will stop being friends." Nora said as she tried to force a smile. Pyrrha gently put her hands on the small girl's shoulders.
"Nora."
Something that none of the girls had ever seen happened.
Nora hugged Pyrrha and cried.
It was like seem a cosmic event that shouldn't ever happen.
…
Ran started ranting fast to Ren in their native language. Jaune observed as the two brothers finally took in the news. Ran was clearly displeased while Ren tried to calm him down, and the knight changed into his sleep attire while he tried to process all the events that happened after dinner. His mind drifted towards Nora, and the certainty that she was probably sad over it, as everyone knew at least from her part she loved the black haired boy.
"Ren, do you really agree with an arranged marriage?" Jaune asked in a moment Ren and Ran stopped arguing.
"Jaune, I am going to be the head of the village when my father steps away of the post. My opinion is irrelevant when compared to what is best for the village."
"Sorry, Ren, but that is a pile of horseshit if I ever heard one."
"Blondie is right, brother. Father can't decide your future like that." Ran supported Jaune, but Ren gave them a playful smirk.
"So, do you want to be the chief now, Lie Ran?"
"Of course not. You know as well as I know I am better with my arms and legs than my brain. Ask me to help building a bridge or a house, I am your man. Solving disputes? I would rather let them fight." Ran justified, and Ren smiled at his younger brother than turned to Jaune.
"I know back with your family traditions aren't upheld as strictly, but this is how it is, Jaune."
"Bullshit. It is clear that you don't want this marriage." Jaune said again, and Ren sighed.
"I want to be village chief, Jaune. This is not something my family forced upon me. I love this place, its people, and I want to work for them. Going to Beacon was needed so I could get more knowledge about the lands outside here, so I can be a better leader for my people." Jaune nodded, understanding his reasons for wanting to be chief.
"And since when an arranged marriage make you a better chief? At least tell me you saw this girl before."
"I have, twice. She is a nice girl, for all I can tell. Our marriage would bond our villages tighter, as it would please our people." Jaune groaned at that, as did Ran, and Ren sighed before resuming talking. "Jaune, our people almost disappeared a few generations ago. I am not talking about a plague or a war. Our culture was disappearing, our language, our rituals, our way of life, because young people preferred to forget the old customs, many even leaving the villages around to try their luck in the biggest cities. It was my great-grandfather that used the traditions to unite the people around our culture, and use this very culture to bring prosperity to our people."
"I don't quite catch it." Jaune asked and Ren smiled again.
"Many tourists come here nowadays, and our typical products sell well. So, preserving our traditions is not about just old people unable to let them go, it is about both our identities as a people and a way of life." Jaune nodded. He understood all the logic about that. He just didn't give a crap.
"Ren, I know you better than most people. I can see you aren't happy. Nora might even be crying for all I know. You are right that my family isn't exactly strict with traditions, but there are traditions and traditions. A tradition is only worth keeping if happiness come from it. And a tradition that will make you, her and probably the girl that will be married to you unhappy don't seem like a worth tradition to keep." Ran patted Jaune's shoulder.
"Listen to your leader, Ren. He knows what he is talking about. People might cheer at you when father tells them, but that is just a temporary thing. It is you that will have to uphold a marriage without love."
"Ran, Jaune… There is nothing I can do about this. If I don't do it, if I break tradition, it will be worse. Father will lose respect, others will feel compelled to break tradition as the son of the chief felt too, and then once again the future of our people would be threatened. I know you two are just worried about me, but that is for the better." Ren finished the discussion by getting into his futon. Rang groaned and did the same, while Jaune sighed and looked to the wall, worried about his other friend.
…
"Girls, I am OK now. Tomorrow we will just have fun and meet Renny's bride." Nora spoke back to her normal self, yet the girls could notice something was off.
"Nora, we never saw you cry before. In fact, I was pretty sure you were unable to do such thing." Pyrrha spoke still concerned about her friend.
"Pffft, come on, I am OK now, it was just unexpected. I always knew Renny would marry someone his father chose, and it was not going to be me. Now, tomorrow is a day for party, we will eat to our hearts content, dance, wear cute local dresses. And that is it! Now let's sleep so we can start early! Renny's dad is very strict about breakfast time."
"Nora, I still…" Nora pinched Pyrrha's lips shut and smiled at her.
"I'm fine! Besides, it is not like he will be marrying tomorrow. Between now and then, we can think of something if Renny don't want to marry. Now, good night!" Nora simple hid inside her blanket, making all the girls worry about her. They just hoped they could talk with Ren the next day.
…
The next day started in the weirdest way possible.
Nora was acting as her usual self, for everyone's surprise. They sat at the table to eat a great breakfast, better yet as Ren's parents weren't around to make the mood stiff, but yet there was something wrong, something off. Pyrrha and Jaune traded stares as both knew their teammates better than anyone, and both of them weren't their usual self. It was in small details, small acts and looks that the two knew they were hiding their unhappiness over a façade of excitement. But any attempt of trying to bring the situation was deflected by Nora talking all the cool stuff they would do that day.
And for a while, it seemed that they could forget their troubles.
There was always something to do. A street artist to watch, a different food to taste, clothes to try and buy, dances to be held. They busied themselves in the morning, and they just finished changing in traditional clothing they bought. The girls all had qipaos following their color schemes and now they were trying to find the boys, first meeting Ren and Ran.
"Hi guys, where is Jaune?" Ruby asked in her red and black dress that fit her perfectly. Ran answered the girl.
"Blondie? He is there, breaking hearts. That is why I tell you to leave him behind when you come to visit, Lie Ren. All the guys hate him by now."
Jaune stood farther from the store, wearing clothes like Ren, but golden with white details, surrounded by local girls that talked happily to him. He just smile and nodded most of the time, clearly uncomfortable about the situation. Of course, it didn't take long before Yang and Pyrrha grabbed him and dragged the poor boy with them, leaving the circle of his admirers to sigh and giggle. As they moved to have lunch in a further away from the busy, Jaune used the opportunity to talk with Pyrrha, further away from the group.
"What do we do about them?" He asked, and the Spartan sighed.
"Nora is heartbroken and pretending to be fine. I fear she might collapse at any moment. How about Ren?"
"He is convincing himself that following the tradition is the best decision, but I don't think he really want to if he was giving the option." Jaune wondered, and Pyrrha sighed and grabbed his hand.
"And here I was worrying about my mom and us…"
"Well, it is just an engagement for now, according to him we have at least three years to find a solution." He gave Pyrrha a light kiss, making her smile. "Time is our ally."
They joined the group as they sat around a stand that served a type of pasta, and they ate happily and sloppily, forgetting for a moment of the issue at hand. As Weiss tried to clean Ruby's mouth from the sauce splattered around her mouth while Yang teased them, Ren's parents approached the group, and as soon as he spoke they stiffed again.
"Ah, here you are Lie Ren. I was searching for you. You know Sung Ho from our neighbor village, he come to present you to Sung Yi."
Sung Ho was a small fat man with white beard and hair. Behind him approached a beautiful girl with white skin, dark straight hair and perfect facial features. She bowed elegantly to them and they all bowed back, still not daring to speak.
"You know, Han, I don't see why we need to do this engagement part. The next year is a lucky one, so why not just marry them by the first day of the New Year?" Sung Ho stated with a joyful smile, not noticing the tension in the air rising.
"I agree with you, old friend. No better day to marry our children."
"NORA!"
They all looked at the direction of the shout.
Nora was unconscious on the ground.