Truth, Honor, and Oaths

part 1

Some believe that truth can be inconvenient, that reality can be denied at whim. They are the ones that are most surprised to find that it can't. Denying the truth about yourself does not change the real world, it's just another way of lying. Hart D'Ore has to face a truth from her past that may end her quest to become a Huntress.

A/N : Angst, hurt/help, thoughts of suicide, friendship, and what oaths truly mean to some people.

The Mistress :

Velvet was standing by the flowerbeds in the main courtyard, a half-eaten apple in her hand.

The sight of a stranger kneeling by the memorial stone was not a unique thing anymore. She'd seen many people in the last six months doing exactly the same.

It was the Hunter behind the old woman that caught the attention of the faunas girl. Standing with his weapon drawn while his eyes moved constantly, watching everything in the surrounding area, made the sight truly unusual. The man's posture indicated that he expected to be attacked at any moment.

She turned away from the two, resolving to ask the leader of team HART if she knew anything about the strange pair. As the girl walked away she shivered for a moment, almost feeling those watchful eyes following her every move.

Hart was enduring another 'tutoring' session from her partner during their morning free period. She glowered at her friend as the girl happily pointed out the mistakes that had been made on the math homework. The faunas girl winced as a slim finger stabbed down at the paper... again. ' The only thing I'm learning is to not ask for her help!' she thought dourly.

" Stupid girl! You were supposed to solve for 'X', not 'Y'!"

Hart was ready to bless whoever made her Scroll buzz at that moment, denying Akiko the chance to continue her partners ' education'. She quickly decided otherwise when the opened screen showed a message from the headmaster asking her to report to his office.

" Gotta run, Akiko. Ozpin wants me in his office. We'll have to continue later. " She rose and headed for the door.

Checking her attire one last time, she decided that there was no point in dithering further. Stepping into the elevator, she waited nervously as rose. the doors finally opening at the top of the tower. When she stepped through the doorway, her progress was interrupted by a sword's blade barring her path.

" Tartarus! What did I tell you! This girl would never harm me! Let her pass this instant!" a high pitched voice demanded from behind him.

His eyes never leaving hers, the man holding the sword slowly lowered it as he stepped aside revealing the owner of the voice.

Her eyes were the first thing that caught anyone's attention, one being blue, the other brown. The fox ears that perked forward betrayed the faunas heritage. Her hair had changed from gray to white over the last few years, but was still long and thick. Dressed differently, she could have passed for a somewhat odd grandmother in any faunas village.

Hart stopped breathing for a moment at the sight of her, staring at the large cloak pin at the woman's throat. The silver balance scale bisected by an upright sword proclaimed who this woman truly served. A memory from her childhood surfaced, as sharp as the sword that had blocked her path.

A large hand rested on her shoulder as they waited in line to meet the strange woman. Her mentor had bought the twelve year old new clothes, before whisking her off to Vale. Dressed more formally than she had ever been, the girl watched the adults ahead of her as they bowed to the frail gray-haired Huntress and her guard. Of the two, Hart was more impressed by the younger woman in light armor who watched the crowd like a hawk looking for a mouse, a long spear at the ready. This was the kind of Huntress the young faunas wanted to become. Armed and armored, the woman looked like she was ready to take on the world.

Hart still didn't understand why she had to be here. Her friend and mentor had told her to think of it as a part of her education, a one-time chance to learn something different about being a Huntress.

So, what made this old woman so special that he would bring his protégé all the way here? All he'd said of their relationship was that he'd known her for a very long time. He'd described her as an' acquaintance' rather than a friend. " Pity her Hart, for her burden is heavier than my own. She will never know love, or joy, or peace. There is no other person she can share her life with. She lives only for the Hunt for truth!" The hand shook her shoulder gently.

" Do you remember the greeting I taught you?"

That part of the memory made her turn to the armed man and bow. " Greetings Guardian. May your blade never prove necessary."

A grim smile crossed his features as the sword was, somewhat reluctantly, sheathed.

Turning back to the woman, she bowed again. " Greetings Mistress of Truth, may your hunt be successful!"

The old woman bowed her head in return before concluding the ritual greeting. " May you never be hunted, Hart D'Ore!" The flustered look on the girl was enough to bring a tight-lipped smile to the thin face. " Did you think I would forget you after your friend made such an effort to introduce us?"

Turning, she pointed a thin finger at the headmaster. " Her memory is better than yours, Ozpin! You forgot the first part of the greeting!"

Ozpin raised his hands in supplication. " You are correct Esmeralda." Looking past her, he regarded the armed man by the door. " Forgive me Guardian. The sight of your mistress is enough to throw even the best of men off their stride when it comes to the formalities." The stilted apology evoked a small smile in return. Turning back, he asked " What , exactly , brings you here Mistress?"

Mismatched eyes bored into his. " Why I am here is none of your business! You will both wait outside while I conclude this investigation!"

The Guardian turned abruptly. " I do not like this Mistress! I should be here with you." he argued.

She cocked an eyebrow at him, fox ears flat against her skull as she bared her teeth. " What you like or dislike does not matter . We will grant this girl some measure of privacy." He lip curled up in a snarl. "Get out, the pair of you!" .

Hart sat still, wondering what power this woman wielded that could send an armed Hunter and the headmaster of Beacon Academy scurrying from the room like two errant schoolboys. She drew back slightly as the withered hand touched her arm.

" You wonder why I called you here, don't you? " She smiled thinly at Hart's worried nod. " One of the council members from Atlas was killed recently by a terrorist bomb. Someone you know has been charged with the deed. He was caught in the blast, himself, and is currently in a coma. Thus, he cannot testify in his own defense and I must learn about him from others, such as yourself. " The old woman leaned forward. " But to decide his guilt or innocence, I must also judge those who defend him. I do not trust words, they can be twisted. Only the absolute truth will do to save or condemn him." The hand tightened on the girls arm. "Now girl, we will discover the truth!"

Hart's tears fell on the stone at her feet. When the old woman's Semblance had touched her, she'd found herself wanting to run away from the things it brought to light. Not only had the memories of her friend been inspected, her own past actions had been laid bare, both good and bad. Every petty, spiteful word she'd ever uttered or heard was brought forward as mental walls she'd erected to hide them from herself crumbled. Every evasion or white lie she'd spoken in her childhood had been heard again. Everything she'd enjoyed ,or hidden from herself, or tried to forget throughout her life was exposed. Nothing in her memories had been untouched in a during that pitiless examination. For the most part the good balanced the bad, cancelling each other out. But the worst came last. The greatest lie she had ever told was wrenched from its hiding place and repeated. When it had finally ended, the girl felt physically ill. Jerking her arm away, she'd run from the room.

Now she stood here, doubting her own self-worth and wishing that the memory would go away. The scroll in her belt pouch buzzed again and again, unheeded as the waves of remorse washed over her. The last gift he'd given her was unceremoniouslydropped onto her mentor's memorial. " I'm sorry! "

The classroom had already emptied by the time Tan looked up from his scroll into the anxious faces of his teammates. " That's ten times in a row that we've called! I'm worried that something happened to her!"

Akiko stamped her foot in frustration. " Where is that stupid girl? It's been four hours! " A large finger suddenly appeared in front of her face as Renee leaned close. " Hey! She's not stupid, alright? She's missing, and we need to find her!"

Tan stepped between the two, forcing them to separate before the argument could escalate. " Cool it you two! This isn't helping!" As the two girls continued to glare at each other, he prepared to dial again when a knock at the door interrupted him.

Velvet stood in the doorway holding a familiar sword belt, the sword and dagger still sheathed on it. Her partner, Yatsuhashi, loomed in the hallway behind her.

" She just ran out the gate crying. Did something happen?" Velvet asked.

Akiko gripped the Oathblade so tightly that her knuckles turned white. " Why? Why would she do that?" She turned to her teammates. " We have to find her! "

Renee knelt in front of her, laying a hand over hers on the sheath. " We will!" she promised her friend. Turning to her own partner, she cocked her head. " Any ideas how? "

Tan frowned for a moment. " You said she went to see Ozpin this morning, right?" Akiko nodded in reply. " Well, then.." he held out a hand to her. " that's where we start! "

Velvet held up a finger. " Don't you need an appointment?"

The boy snorted at the question. " Man says his door is always open! " Tugging Akiko towards the hallway, his lips thinned in determination. " I plan to see if it is!"

Large hands settled on Velvet's shoulders as her own partner gently nudged her towards the door. " I think we should go also, to help a friend in need. Besides, I want to see what happens when they barge in. " Yatsuhashi commented with a grin.

Professor Ozpin was annoyed by the arrival of the elevator. Having one of his students run past him in tears, followed by the refusal of his uninvited guest to comment on what had passed between them in his office, hadn't left him in a good mood. The five students spilling from the elevator, one of whom was holding a weapon that he knew didn't belong to her, turned his annoyance to unease. Placing his hands flat on the table, he leaned back slightly and waited for an explanation.

Tan strode across the room, followed by the others. Stopping at the edge of the desk, he nodded to the headmaster. " Professor. Hart's run off and we can't find her. The last thing we know she did was come to your office. Do you know what happened? "

Ozpin steepled his fingers and rested his forehead against them for a moment. " Oh, dear! " he muttered. Looking up at the young man, he continued. " Miss D' Ore had a meeting with the Mistress of Truth here in my office. I'm afraid I don't know what passed between them." Velvet's startled gasp caught his attention. " Miss Scarlatina? I take it you know something of the Mistress?"

Velvet nodded in reply. " Yessir! I saw her yesterday in the courtyard, but didn't recognize her." Switching her attention to the remaining members of team HART, she continued. "We studied her last semester. You guys won't until your second year. She's likely the oldest Huntress in the world, but she doesn't hunt Grim. She works for the Justice's in all the kingdoms, and by agreement between them she can go anywhere and question anyone she thinks is connected to a crime. They say she can find the truth about anything from anyone, no matter how deeply it's buried. She always has a Hunter or Huntress with her, called the ' Guardian ', like a bodyguard. The White Fang and all the criminal organizations want her dead, and the Guardians are there to stop them. In the last fifty years, twelve have died defending her." She shivered at the thought and let her eyes drop. " It's not a job I could do., even if it is only for a year! They don't dare rest for a moment."

Ozpin nodded in agreement. " Not only criminals. There have been rumors that several politicians in some of the kingdoms would like to see her dead as well! "

Tan spread his arms, " That's all very interesting. But it doesn't help us find Hart! "

Ozpin leaned forward, his eyes intent. " Mister Tyrson. Your team leader was interviewed by the Mistress, then ran off distraught. As she was not, as far as I know, wanted for any crime, the interview was not about her. Possibly something in her past was brought to light that was enough to cause her to react this way." He raised a hand. " I would not attempt to ask the Mistress what it might be, as she does not talk about her work to anyone." he warned. " Rather, you should concentrate on finding your friend. I fear she may come to harm unless you do. " He turned to his own keyboard, " I will alert the Vale police force to keep any eye out for her and let you know if they discover anything. "

Tan grabbed Akiko's arm and hustled her to the elevator, calling over his shoulder. " Thanks, Professor! " As soon as everyone was inside he punched the ' down' button.

Tan paced back and forth in front of the group as Yatsuhashi made a call to his own teammates to enlist their aid in the search. Renee was holding her own conversation on her scroll. " Thanks, Yang! Meet us at the main gate. " Putting the scroll back in its pouch, she looked to her partner. " So..now what? Vale's a pretty good sized city, and there's also all the places around it you could reach in one day. That's a lot of ground to cover, where do we begin?"

Tan froze in place for a moment. " A lot of ground!" he mumbled, still deep in thought. His hand suddenly rose and slapped the side of his head. " Crap! Why didn't I think of that sooner! " Fumbling for his own scroll, he started to explain to the startled people surrounding him. " The farm I grew up on is so big that it's easy to lose track of where everyone is."

Renee nodded in agreement. " Got that right! The place is huge!"

Scroll held out in front of him, Tan began tapping the extended screen for a moment as he continued. " We use a program my father picked up a while back to find everyone. It tracks the signal from their scroll." His fingers stilled as he waited for a response. A small spot appeared on the screen after a few moments. " Yes! It worked!" he exclaimed in relief.

Yatsuhashi leaned over his shoulder and studied the map displayed on it before turning to the others. " She is in Forever Fall and unarmed. We must hurry."

His words galvanized Akiko into running for the armory to retrieve her own weapon, followed by the others. Tan quickly made an additional call.

" Professor Ozpin! We found her, but we need some transport!"