Jaune of House Arc was not the strongest knight in the kingdom. However after an encounter with the eldest daughter of Taiyang the Great Sun Dragon, he considered himself to be one of the luckiest.
The young man once again found himself on the road, traveling a familiar path to the lair of the dragon in question. Or more specifically, the young dragon who had taken the form of a beautiful young woman. One whom he had managed to completely convince that he was in fact a seasoned and mighty warrior, and had ultimately negotiated a cease fire with in order to get out of there alive.
Running his tongue across his lips, he could still practically taste the sweet wine which had wetted her lips. He could feel the immense heat she emitted as they shared a pair of passionate kisses. He could smell the pleasant fragrance of whatever expensive perfume she'd worn. He would soon be seeing her again in order to return the prize which she had so graciously lent to him.
Carrying around a ruby the size of his fist in a satchel, Jaune had it slumped over his shoulder as he travelled the simple dirt road. Soon enough he would be heading off-road, for no roads led to the lair of an infamous Sun Dragon and his spawn. He could hardly believe he was going back so willingly after barely managing to escape with his life, but honor bound him to return the treasure which had been entrusted to him. Jaune may not have been the smartest or wisest boy in the world, but an Arc always kept his word. He would not sully the name of his house by going back on his promise to Yang, nor would he invite the wrath of her and her father on his town in order to retrieve the precious jewel.
Speaking of precious jewels, Jaune spotted a figure in the distance, and even afar he could see that it was a young maiden of notable status. As he grew nearer her features became ever clearer, and the young knight's curiosity was piqued by such a strange sight sitting alone along the road.
Resting atop the rotting body of a fallen tree, the girl wore an elegant knee-length dress of black and crimson which transitioned seamlessly into a tight-fitting corset around her upper body. Shoulder length hair of black-red hung loosely around a round and pretty face, as eyes of sterling silver gazed longingly up into the clear blue sky above. Legs clad in tall, heeled leather boots kicked up and down idly as if she was bored and restless, simply waiting for an opportunity to leave her seat and go wherever her wanderlust would take her.
As strange as it had been to come upon a young dragon who could take the form of a human girl, it was almost as strange to find a young lady of what appeared to be noble birth alone in the countryside. Chivalric code dictated that he could not simply pass her by, and that he must come to the aid of a lady in need. Without an escort, he couldn't imagine a lady in need more than this one here.
Sword still sheathed and without a helmet to mask his face, Jaune approached the young woman with a smile on his face. She was young, younger than even he was. What in the world was she doing out here all by herself?
"Pardon me, my lady," he spoke once he'd gotten close enough, raising an open hand in greeting and to indicate his harmless intent. "Are you alone?"
Silver eyes, intense as those of the most frightening beast, honed in on him and made Jaune involuntarily shiver. He stopped in his tracks, though he couldn't explain why, as the maiden's gaze examined him from head to toe.
"Are you a knight?" her voice, small and gentle, yet not at all meek, asked him as she sat unmoving on the fallen tree trunk.
Jaune swallowed, summoning up the strength to answer the girl. How was it that she seemed so intimidating despite being so small? This wasn't Princess Weiss he was addressing, after all. This girl, while appearing noble in birth, should not have been nearly as daunting as she made him feel.
"I am," he barely managed to force out. Though he was not the bravest knight in the kingdom, even he knew that he shouldn't have quaked in fear the way he was at the sight of a mere noblewoman.
The girl's demeanor changed in an instant with his answer. Her mouth opened wide, sucking in a huge breath while her lips curled up into the brightest and happiest grin he'd ever seen. With speed and grace unknown to someone of her station, she leapt to her feet and dashed over to where Jaune stood, skidding to a halt a mere foot away from him.
"Wow, you an actual knight?" she beamed, head tilted up sharply to make up for their height difference. "For real? A real live knight right here in front of me?"
Was this her being grateful? Jaune couldn't think of any other explanation other than her being in need of an escort. Perhaps her retinue had been ambushed by robbers and she had managed to escape. Maybe she simply hadn't trusted who he was until he'd mentioned he was a knight, but now that he had she felt relieved that he was here to see her to safety.
As a knight he would be more than willing to take up her cause. Aiding a lady in need was perhaps the oldest and most common task which a knight could undertake in his journeys.
"Y-yes, a real life knight," he confirmed, an armored gauntlet coming up to scratch the back of his neck nervously. "Are you in need of assistance?"
The lady hummed, pressing a finger against her chin in thought as her eyes darted up and off to the side. After giving his question consideration, she poked at his breastplate with that same finger. "Depends. What are you up to, mister knight?"
An interesting answer, and not at all the one Jaune had been expecting. Hefting the satchel he had over his shoulder, he brought it out in front of him to hold in both hands. "I'm here to return a precious ruby to its rightful home," he explained. "It's a very important quest that I've been entrusted with."
Silver eyes widened, and the maiden's lips parted ever so slightly before she spoke. "R-really? You were given a quest to… to bring a precious ruby back home?"
Jaune nodded. "Yes. If you'd like, I would have no issue escorting you home. As a knight it is both my right and my duty to help a lady in distress. Are you in need of an escort, my lady?"
She giggled, practically shaking in excitement and glee as she stared up at him in utter jubilation. "Yes! Yes! That would be so cool!" she gushed, grinning wildly and showing off a beautiful white smile. "I'm the ruby you're looking for! Ruby's my name!"
Jaune frowned. Ruby, eh? A fake name if he'd ever heard one. Likely chosen because she'd just heard him talk about the ruby he was bringing back to, unbeknownst to her, a dragon. Being a highborn girl she probably thought of herself as a precious jewel as well. If she didn't feel comfortable enough around him to reveal her real name then he wasn't about to push her. Simply doing his duty and seeing her to safety was enough for him.
"I can't believe it! I get to meet a real live knight, and he's gonna escort me home! This is the coolest thing ever! So what's your name, sir knight?"
She was absolutely a strange girl. Maybe not like the nobility back home after all. Perhaps she was foreign? Or maybe even a lesser noble who never interacted much with knights or other nobles? For whatever reason being with Jaune seemed like a novelty to her, though he wasn't about to complain. He'd gotten his first taste of success after tricking Yang and bringing his prize back home to show off. If this girl wanted to think he was cool, then he wasn't about to stop her.
"I'm Jaune of House Arc. It would be a pleasure to escort you home, Lady Ruby," he said, playing along with the name she had chosen to go by while she was under his protection.
His words were flowery and not at all natural-sounding, but proper etiquette dictated that this was how he must speak to a fair maiden such as Ruby.
She stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet ya, Jaune Arc!"
He reached out to take her hand, preparing to raise it to his lips to gently kiss. "It's nice to meet yo-ooowwwww!"
Rather than that she had decided to shake his head, and even through his gauntlets he felt her mighty grip as she squeezed down on his fingers. Jaune's teeth grit together as Ruby shook his entire arm, the thing threatening to pop out of his shoulder socket as she greeted him properly.
As Jaune yelped and cried Ruby only laughed, giggling softly and smiling brightly. "Wow you're funny, Sir Jaune," she grinned. "Acting like little old me is hurting a big strong knight like you." Thankfully she released her hold on him, stepping back before her hands came down to rest on her hips. "I bet you do that all the time with kids when you shake their hands, and make the ladies fall for you, don't ya?"
Jaune still winced, flexing his armored fingers as he sought to find out if anything had been broken. Thankfully it didn't seem that way, and even as his hand still throbbed he managed he squeak out a response to the unnaturally strong girl. "Y-yeah," he said, not wanting to admit that she'd in fact nearly squeezed the life out of his hand. "All the ladies."
Ruby was practically glowing underneath the sunlight, and she wasted no time in taking his arm and linking one of hers around it. "Come on, let's go!" she urged, apparently not wanting to waste anymore time. "I wanna introduce you to my sister once I get home. She's gonna be so jealous that I finally met a knight while she sits at home doing nothing."
She started walking, practically pulling him behind her for a couple of seconds before Jaune had managed to get control of his feel enough to follow her. For as strange as this young lady seemed, she did at least appear to have a typical noble mindset when it came to her family. Jealousy and rivalries were commonplace between siblings of highborn families, and it seemed like Ruby wanted to rub it in the face of her sister that she'd met a knight… but hopefully not to imply that he was courting her or anything like that. Surely there was no way that his intentions could have been misinterpreted, right?
He'd better find out before they got too far. "Um, so, Ruby," he said as they walked side by side, arm in arm. "When you said that you finally met a knight…" he trailed off, not sure how to continue in his line of questioning.
Ruby nodded eagerly as she peered up at him. "Yeah, it's so cool!" she exclaimed. "I've heard a lot about knights growing up, mostly from my mom. She used to read me all kinds of stories about brave knights and scary monsters and stuff, and my whole life I've always wanted to meet a real live knight." Her lips pursed as she looked him up and down as she had when they'd first met. "I gotta admit though, you're a lot less scary looking than I thought a knight would be. You're not all hairy and stuff. And you've still got all your teeth, and there's not a bunch of ugly scars all over you… you're not at all like how my sister said knights would look."
Jaune's brow furrowed at her little tangent. It sounded familiar, almost like what Yang had told him when she was surprised to find out that he was a knight. Or more specifically, that he appeared handsome for a knight. He didn't think he was anything too special or unique, and certainly not the most attractive guy from his town. Did people, or dragons, from out here in the countryside really think that knights were a bunch of crusty old men or something?
"Well I am only seventeen," he explained. "Heh, still plenty of time to grow a beard and get some scars, I suppose," he added jokingly.
Ruby's eyes narrowed on him, her jaw working left to right as she seemed to digest his words. In the end she snorted out a tiny laugh. "Nah, you shouldn't do that," she argued. "I like you just the way you are right now. Don't go getting your nose chopped off or anything stupid like that. That'd make it hard to impress all the princesses then, right?"
A knight without a nose? Yeah, who would ever want to be courted by a man who looked like that? Jaune couldn't agree more with Ruby's sentiment about not wanting him to be maimed or disfigured in battle.
"You're not wrong," he laughed. She was such a strange girl, but Jaune didn't mind. There was actually something about her rather unrefined attitude that put him at ease. "I'll do my best to avoid losing my nose. Can't make any promises about the beard though. Those things kind of just come naturally."
Ruby hummed, her eyes still examining his face. "You with a beard, huh?" she asked. "Yeah, I can see that. Definitely maybe. It'll probably be kinda itchy though, won't it?"
He wouldn't know. Jaune wasn't old enough yet to grow a full and thick beard. However from what he did have at his young age, he knew that she was probably right about that. "Probably," he smiled.
Ruby was surprisingly easy to talk to. Most highborn girls he knew were like Princess Weiss or Lady Gwen. Pompous given their lives of privilege and with high standards for all of those around them. He could never speak so candidly or informally with most of the nobility back home. But here with Ruby? It was almost as if she was a commoner. Then again, he'd never actually confirmed that she was in fact a noble. He'd merely assumed she was due to her stylish dress, and if he was being honest, her beauty. However he wasn't about to ask her of her station, as it would be incredibly rude to inquire into the personal life of a lady he'd just met.
"So Sir Jaune, tell me some stories about other quests you've done," she asked as they kept on the road to her home.
Apparently those sort of manners didn't extend to her. Also befitting for a lady of a high station.
Stories, stories… where did he begin? He didn't really have many stories to tell, due to him being new to questing and all. And unlike with Yang he really didn't want to lie to her face about his deeds. He had no reason to either. She wasn't a big scary monster. She wasn't the daughter of a fearsome Sun Dragon. She was just Lady Ruby, a sweet young woman who seemed to have an interest in the heroic deeds of knights thanks to her mother.
After giving her query a bit of thought, an answer finally came to him. A very recent answer, in fact. It wouldn't be a lie either. "Well, there was this one time I met a Sun Dragon face to face."
Ruby gasped, putting a hand over her mouth as she stared up at him wide-eyed. "Really?"
"Yeah," he smiled, recalling the fresh memories in his mind. "I entered her lair hoping that she would be sleeping, but as it turned out she was wide awake. Our eyes locked and for the longest time we just stood there staring at each other in silence."
Ruby seemed to be hanging onto his every word. Teeth nervously toyed with her lower lip, as if she was apprehensive to ask what happened to him next despite the fact that he stood before her here alive and well. "And then what!"
"Well… it was a battle of who would break first. Me or her. Whose will was stronger? Who would surrender?"
"And you made her surrender?" Ruby wondered in awe. "Without even fighting her?"
Jaune felt his face grow warmer as he glanced away. "Oh we battled, alright. It was… pretty physical." He wasn't about to tell Ruby that the only battle which had taken place was between their lips. That sort of detail wasn't appropriate. "And her breath was very hot." That breath of her kiss, of course. "But in the end no one wound up getting too hurt." Only his lips from the intense heat of hers. "And I was able to get away with a very valuable prize."
All of that was entirely true… from a certain point of view. Never mind the fact that he'd left out the parts of him being terrified, Yang threatening him, or the fact that he'd made out with the beautiful Sun Dragon girl twice. He had in fact faced her down, gotten physical with her, and left with a precious ruby. That was a win in his book.
"Wow, that's so cool…" Ruby whispered. "I wonder what my sister would think of that story."
Jaune smiled. "Well I'd love to tell it to her once we get you back home safely."
"Yeah I can't wait! Good news is that we're getting close."
The smile quickly faded into a frown. They were getting close to Yang's lair too. Just how close did Ruby live to a dangerous dragon's nest? Were there even any villages or towns around here? He didn't think so.
Those questions were shoved to the back of his mind as a pair of figures in plain, dark clothing stood leaning against the trunk of a large tree near the side of the road. Upon sighting them they were roused to activity, and the two moved to stand in the middle of the street, blocking Jaune and Ruby's path and preventing them from passing unless they went around.
All such hopes of accomplishing such a thing were dashed when the woman, a short-haired brunette with piercing blue eyes, called out to them. "Not another step," she shouted at them.
The man, with long dirty blond hair and rough facial stubble, grinned wickedly as he stared into Jaune's eyes. "That's right, you just stay put right there if you know what's good for ya."
This was bad. Obviously these were bandits, and Jaune and Ruby were unlucky enough to cross their path on a lonely road out here in the countryside. While not exactly incapable of wielding his sword, he also didn't know how he would fare against two opponents when he was charged with protecting Lady Ruby. Foes with no honor would distract him while the other went to take her hostage.
Jaune moved to stand in front of Ruby in order to shield her from any potential attacks. "And what exactly do you want?" he called out.
The man laughed, hunching over and slapping a knee before turning to his partner. "Ya hear that? He's asking what the Branwen Tribe wants," he said with no small amount of humor in his voice. "We want all your gold and other valuables, of course," he then called back to Jaune.
"The girl too," the female bandit added. "She looks like she'd fetch a good ransom. Or if nothing else, a good servant girl for the tribe."
Out of the question. Jaune drew his Crocea Mors from its sheath and hefted his shield. "I can't let you do that. This lady is under my protection. If you want to make it out of here in one piece you should leave now."
Jaune felt a tugging on his pants. He stole a glance behind him to see an apprehensive Ruby. "Are you going to fight them?"
He nodded grimly. "I'm afraid if they give me no other choice I'll have to."
"Oh, oh, Sir Jaune, want me to get 'em? I can take 'em. I'll turn 'em to stone with my silver eyes..." she glowered, said silver eyes narrowing dangerously as she stared past him at the bandits.
Turn them to stone? Was that supposed to be metaphorical? Sure, she may have had an intense gaze like the one she'd given him when they'd first met, but this was a very bad situation here where her brave face wouldn't be enough. This required swift action and cold steel. Right now he was the only thing that stood between the bandits and Ruby's capture.
"I can't allow you to do that." He gave her a sorrowful smile. "I appreciate how brave you are, but it's best to leave them to me. It's my duty to be your shield, Lady Ruby."
It was then that Ruby… grinned? "Yes!" she exclaimed, not at all giving him the reaction he thought she would. "Oh my gods yes! This is so awesome! A knight is going to fight on my behalf in order to protect me just like in the stories! This is the best day ever!"
Jaune's brow furrowed in confusion. Across from him his two adversaries were equally as confused.
"Uh, Vernal?" the male asked. "That one don't seem too right in the head."
"Forget her, Shay," Vernal growled. "Did you hear what she said? That guy's a damn knight!"
Gripping blue leather tightly in his hand, Jaune took a step forward to gauge his opponent's reactions. Vernal took a step back. The man named Shay did not.
He drew a blade of his own from its scabbard, and the scrape of steel on steel rang louder in Jaune's ears than when he'd drawn his own sword. A simple round wooden shield was slung from his left arm as he approached the knight.
"Knight'er'not, I'm gonna cut you open, boy," Shay growled. "And then that nice lookin' sword'll be all mine."
Bandit versus knight. Shay was older, and probably a good deal more experienced, but the fact remained that he wore no armor, while Jaune did gave the knight an automatic advantage. Still, the older man showed no fear, and whether it was due to his confidence or stupidity was a question Jaune couldn't answer.
"Yeah, go get him, Sir Jaune!" Ruby cheered from behind him. He took another look at the girl, who was busy throwing punches and kicks in the air as if in combat herself. "You can do it! Kick his butt!"
She certainly was enthusiastic. Quite honestly it felt flattering to have her believe in him as much as she did. He couldn't let Ruby down. He wouldn't let her down. Here and now he would make an even bigger name for himself as he defended this lady in need against fearsome roadside bandits from the infamous Branwen Tribe.
"Ah shut up, girl!" Shay snarled.
"Sir Jaune, this one has a weak shield arm," Ruby shouted. "Attack him from the right and he's done!"
"Shut up! I do not have a weak shield arm!"
But sure enough, Shay's shield hung low and loosely at his side. Perhaps he was not trained in sword combat like Jaune was. The knight saw how Shay began purposefully compensating and lifting his left arm higher than it had been before thanks to Ruby's keen eye.
"And he's easily distracted!" Ruby pressed. "Get some banter going and he's yours! Easy peasy, hair is greasy!"
"My hair is not greasy!"
"Is too! Gross greasy hair, mister bandit man!"
"It is not! I bathe once a week!"
"Gross gross gross gross!" Ruby continued to taunt. "Slimey haired bandit!"
"Will you shut up!"
"I bet his breath stinks too! Watch out, Sir Jaune! His onion breath is his secret weapon!"
"Screw the ransom, I'm going to gut you, girl!"
As it turned out, the bandit called Shay was indeed easily distracted. That, or Ruby was just very, very distracting. The bandit was so focused on Ruby that he was taken by complete surprise when Jaune rushed forward, leading with his shield and crashing into the scruffy looking older man with tremendous impact.
Shay barely got his shield up in time, but momentum and weight was on Jaune's side and Shay was sent tumbling backwards. The sword dropped from his hand and his shield hung weakly around his forearm. Shay groaned in pain as he struggled to get up, only for his face to be met with the tip of a sword.
"Yield," Jaune commanded. Shay, sitting on his backside and weaponless, had no choice but to obey.
"Okay, okay, I surrender!" he exclaimed, hands up before his chest. "You win. I yield."
Jaune smiled. He'd won. He'd really won. A real life battle again human opponents, and he'd come out victorious. Now all that was left was to determine what he'd do with-
Something jumping on his back earned his attention, and his first fear was that it was the female bandit coming to plunge a dagger into his neck. However he saw that she was still in front of him, a good ten feet behind where the action between he and Shay had taken place. So that meant…
"Sir Jaune you were amazing!" Ruby squealed, clinging to his back with her arms around his chest. "Wow that was so cool, a real knight fighting real bandits! And all for me!"
"Ruby- I can't-"
"Run you idiot!" the voice of Vernal shouted, and sure enough Shay scooped himself off of the ground and hightailed it away from Jaune as quickly as possible.
As the pair of bandits kicked up a trail of dust as they made their escape, Ruby slowly but surely slid off of Jaune's back to land back on her feet. Once he was sure his foes were gone he turned back to Ruby where he saw the short redheaded girl smiling brightly up at him.
"Ruby, I appreciate that you're happy for me," he said carefully, making sure not to offend her. "But… you can't distract me in a fight like that. They ended up getting away."
"Oh they were trash," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Seriously. Is that all the Branwen Tribe has to offer these days? They were nothing. Less than nothing. I could have taken them both out without even blinking."
Speaking of which, Jaune blinked silently at her. What was she talking about? Was she delusional? Or was she secretly a badass? She did point out Shay's weak shield arm, after all. Just who was this Ruby girl? If that really was her real name, which he didn't think it was.
"Uh…" he said, sliding Crocea Mors back into its sheath.
"Anyway, come on," she urged, tugging at his arm. "We're almost home, and I wanna tell my sister all about what just happened!"
Maybe he was still coming down from the high of his first real combat experience, or maybe he just wanted this quest to be over, but Jaune silently complied with Ruby as she began leading the way. As she began leading him off-road. As she began leading him directly toward his original destination, one totally unrelated to the young noblewoman who he'd met on the road to the dragon's lair…
"Uh, Ruby?" he questioned, feeling his heart beginning to beat faster as she led him closer and closer to Yang's home. "Where are we going?"
"Home!" she said happily as she glanced back over her shoulder at him.
"Home?" he echoed. She showed no signs of slowing down as she pulled him after her. Closer and closer toward the mouth of the cave where he knew a certain fire-breather dwelt. "But- wait, Ruby. We can't go any further. A Sun Dragon lives in that cave."
Ruby stopped in her tracks. Perhaps finally she understood the magnitude of where she was leading them.
"I know."
Or not.
"You… you know?"
"Well, yeah," she answered matter-of-factly. "I live here too. I'm half dragon, Jaune."
A blue eye twitched. "H-half… half dr…"
"Half dragon!" she finished for him, blowing out a small plume of smoke from her lips as she smiled. "See? Rawr!"
A dragon. Or at least a half dragon. Jaune had been walking side by side with a dragon this entire time. He'd defended a dragon against bandits, when in reality she could have annihilated them in seconds before eating their burned and smoking corpses.
"Come on!" she insisted, pulling him into the cave behind her. "I wanna introduce you to my sister Yang. She's going to love this story!"
As Jaune entered into the dragon's lair for the second time in as many weeks, he didn't know if he should be relieved that Ruby wasn't in danger, or even more terrified that he was going to be inside it with not one, but two fearsome fire-breathing dragons.
Yang Xiao Long wasn't the strongest dragon in the kingdom, but she was slowly improving. After her near-death experience at the hands, or more specifically the blade of one Jaune Arc, she had been determined to improve herself so that such a frightful encounter could never take place again.
Holding a fresh and prepared slab of cow meat, Yang held the tasty treat by the leg bone and belched out a great plume of flame. The scent of spiced meat roasting right in front of her face filled her nostrils, and her mouth watered in anticipation of the meal she was about to enjoy. Some people might not have enjoyed cooking for themselves, but for Yang it was as much about training as it was roasting her food.
Holding the blackened beef before her, she examined the meaty bone, fat still sizzling and meat still smoking. It was a meal fit for a queen, and Yang was nothing if not a queen in her own mind.
Where normal people would have had to wait for the freshly made meal to cool down, a Sun Dragon such as Yang did not, and she eagerly tore into the former cow's fleshy leg with savage vigor.
As she chewed she silently thanked the gods for spices. Rarities from Vacuo like pepper and garlic added flavor to salted meat, and an explosion of flavor danced on her tongue as she savored the taste sensation.
"This is your leg, Jaune Arc," she grumbled with a full mouth as she chewed. "You want to try me again? This is what you'll get!"
She was able to produce a respectably-sized flame now, and enchantments or not there was no way Jaune's shield would be able to protect him from it all. She anticipated his return any day now with the ruby she'd lent him, but if he tried any funny business with her then… then… he would certainly be in for a surprise, that was for sure!
She ripped another chunk from her lunch, angrily chewing as she stewed in her own thoughts. "You'd better come back soon," she muttered. "Dragons aren't known for their charity. You just caught me on a good day." Or a bad one, considering he had been one step away from taking her young and inexperienced life with his mighty sword.
That was in the past, however. There was no way she was going to get caught off guard again. No, not Yang Xiao Long. Not the eldest daughter of Taiyang the Great. Not a mighty and fearsome, not to mention beautiful, creature such as herself! Not the-
"Yang!" a familiar voice rang in the cave entrance. "I'm home!"
The blonde girl swallowed her food. Staring at the thigh bone stripped nearly bare of meat, she wondered if Ruby would get jealous of the delicious meal. She wondered if Ruby would ask for some herself. Even if she hid the evidence, the smell of cooked meat and spices would give her away. Oh well, there was plenty more where that came from. Ruby would just have to prepare it for herself. She was a big girl, after all. Perfectly capable of looking after hers-
Lilac eyes widened when she saw Ruby enter not alone, but hand in hand with… with…
"I brought a friend!" her younger sister smiled gleefully, showing off an all too familiar knight.
A knight who was holding her hand. Holding her hand! Yang's guard went up immediately at the sight of this trained killer so close to her precious baby sister.
"Ruby!" Yang shouted, taking a few steps forward toward them. "What are you doing! What's he doing here!"
"This is my friend Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, holding his hand up with hers as if showing him off. "I met him today in the middle of an adventure, and we met some bandits, and he scared them off, and-"
"And he's a knight!" she finished, coming closer to where the two stood. Or more specifically, where Jaune now held her sister hostage, even if the poor girl didn't even realize it.
Ruby had no idea that she was being restrained by the warrior who had slain the Murderous Manticore of Mountain Glenn. She had no idea Jaune was the brave knight who had driven the illusive and fearsome Jabberslythe into extinction. She had no idea that her tiny, petite hand, and her very life, was in the armored gauntlet of a human who wished to see her kind put to the sword.
Despite the clear advantage that he held, surprise was evident on Jaune's face as well as he glanced back and forth between Yang and Ruby. "Wait, your name is actually Ruby?" he asked.
"Well, yeah!" she answered matter-of-factly. She grinned up at him without fear as she went on. "But you already knew that, silly. You said you were questing to bring a precious Ruby back home." She grinned embarrassingly. "And that's me… a precious Ruby!"
They were still holding hands. They were still holding hands! A guttural growl hummed in the back of Yang's throat at the sight of her sweet, innocent sister being held by this big, strong knight. It was dangerous. It was unnatural. It was… it was… wrong!
"And you're Yang's sister," Jaune said, pointing to Yang with his free hand.
Ruby nodded, but her smile faded as confusion spread across her face. "Is that strange or something?"
Jaune shrugged, and his demeanor seemed to show he was nervous. Yang knew better, however. She knew the truth of who this knight was and what he'd accomplished. She also knew the painful truth that he could end Ruby's sweet life any moment he chose.
What would the ransom for her safety be? More precious jewels? More kisses? Or… or… something potentially even more lewd? Yang's hands balled up tightly into fists. If that's what it took to ensure her sister's safety… then she would be willing to go through with it. For Ruby's sake.
"It's just… Yang didn't mention she had a sister the last time we met."
Ruby's eyes narrowed on Jaune before opening up in surprise. "Wait…" In an instant she whirled around to stare at Yang. She pointed out accusingly at her sister. "You're the Sun Dragon who got physical with Sir Jaune?"
Yang's eyes widened in turn, and her arm whipped up to point at Jaune. "You told her we kissed?" she shouted.
"You kissed Sir Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed.
"I- I didn't- I mean I did, but I didn't say anything!" Jaune stuttered as he found himself caught between two very surprised sisters.
And he was still holding her hand! By the look of it, squeezing her hand tightly. Like he wasn't about to let her go now that he had the sisters exactly where he wanted them.
Yang decided she had to make some sort of concession to him. A gesture of good will which would hopefully sate his greedy human lust for treasure.
"Jaune," she spoke softly, doing her best to keep calm in this unexpected situation. "Keep the ruby."
Silver eyes went as wide as Ruby's mouth as she looked back and forth between her sister and the knight. "K-keep me?" she gasped.
"No, the actual ruby," Yang clarified. The fist-sized gem which must have been in the pack over Jaune's back.
"Are you saying I'm not real?" Ruby squawked angrily. "Just because you're half human and I'm half gorgon doesn't make me any less real! And don't even try to make some small joke about me! I'm still growing! I may drink milk, but I eat cow just like any other dragon!"
Finally Jaune let go of Ruby's hand, or more accurately seemed to shake hers off of his, as he reached for the pack and brought it out in front of him. From inside he produced a familiar looking jewel to show them both.
"No, Ruby," he clarified. "She's talking about this."
Ruby blinked, staring at the… ruby. Her teeth sank gently into her lower lip as she stared into its many facets. "Oh. Ooohhhhh…"
Yang watched as realization seemed to set into her younger sister's mind. She had no idea what had taken place prior to their arrival, but she was determined to find out. After the knight had left, of course. However before that happened Yang had some very choice words for the young man. It was one thing to threaten her, but quite another to threaten her sister.
"Ruby. Could you give Jaune and me some privacy?" she asked.
The younger girl's focus switched between the two once more, and after a few seconds a devious grin spread across her lips. "Why? Are you two gonna do some more kissing or something?"
Jaune coughed violently. Yang's eyes went wide, and for long seconds she could say nothing as her quivering lips did their best imitation of a fish out of water. Finally, however, she was able to form confident and angry words.
"What? No! Of course not!" she yelled. At least… she hoped not. Or did she? His soft, human lips felt nice. Cool to the touch. If that was the price of Ruby's safety, she would gladly pay it. Gladly…
Ruby stuck out her tongue. "Fine, fine, I'll give you some alone time." She turned back to Jaune, peering up at him with a toothy smile. "Hope ya don't have to get too physical with my sister again, Sir Jaune!"
Like a destructive storm that had just ravaged a village, Ruby skipped out of the cave, the damage being done by her words alone. Soon only Jaune and Yang remained, the tension in the air as thick as his muscular knightly arms. Arms… or hands which had all but held Ruby hostage right in front of her.
Dangerous human warrior or not, Yang stepped closer to him, her anger threatening to send her into an uncontrollable rage. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here with my sister like that," she snarled. "What kind of knight takes an innocent girl hostage?"
"Hostage?" he asked, seemingly aghast by the very word. "What are you talking about?"
Yang pointed down at his hand. The hand which had held her sister's tightly in his armored fingers. "Holding my sister's hand! You were holding my sister's hand!"
Jaune's hands rose in front of his chest. "She wanted to! And in my defense I didn't even realize she was your sister until she brought me here," he said. "In fact I didn't even know she was a dragon. How could I when she made such a big deal about how cool she thought knights were? I thought she was just a noblewoman!"
Yang's nose wrinkled. Yes, that sounded like Ruby alright. She had grown up on a steady diet of fairy tales about knights and dragons and other beasts. She was an odd one for sure. Yang couldn't think of another dragon who not only wanted to meet a knight, but also seemed to admire them.
Her arms folded across her own chest. "Oh yeah? So what did you two do today, huh? What was that about bandits? Did you go on an adventure with my sister, Jaune? Did you battle bandits? Did you have fun? Was helping out who you thought was a highborn lady in need everything you ever thought it would be? Did it tickle your chivalry bone and make you want to slay some dragons? Is that why you're here now? Here to finish the job? Here to take my life and Ruby's life and all our treasure to bring back to your greedy human lords!"
Yang was fuming. Literally and figuratively. Plumes of smoke shot from her nose with every harsh and angry breath she took, and Jaune's eyes were wide as she stared into the eyes of a dragon on the verge of a rage.
"N-no," he answered, holding out the ruby. "I just came to bring this back."
Eyes which had gone crimson stared down at the ruby which shared their bright and brilliant color. He did seem to be an honorable knight. He had fulfilled his promise to return the ruby that she'd allowed him to borrow. Even when she'd said he could keep it, he still intended on giving it back to her.
Red eyes returned to their natural lilac color, and the anger Yang felt before drained from her. "Well then, it's good you came through, knight," she stated. "Had you not returned I would have been forced to burn your city to the ground!"
Jaune's face was filled with horror. Apparently he wasn't concerned for his own safety, seeing how he could defend himself and slay any monster he encountered. His city, on the other hand, wasn't so safe.
"O-oh yeah?" he countered. "You wouldn't dare burn my city to the ground if you knew how many knights were going to be there for the festival!
Yang's head tilted in interest. "Festival?"
"Yeah. The annual fall harvest festival. It's coming up next week and it's going to be so much fun."
Yang hummed in thought. She'd heard tales of human festivals from her father. Supposedly they were great gatherings of people from all over the land who would come together in order to celebrate and have fun. There were all kinds of entertainment, and no expense was spared so that lowborn and highborn people alike could enjoy themselves for days.
"A festival," Yang repeated. "Will there be food? And music? And dancing?"
"Yeah!" Jaune nodded hurriedly. "All kinds of stuff. Even a jousting tournament. The winner gets a grand prize, but I don't think I'm good enough to win that. I'll mostly just be there for the food and fun to be honest."
Food and fun. Yang liked food and fun. Furthermore, she had expressed the desire to get out and live life more if she survived her previous encounter with Jaune. A festival sounded like just the type of thing she needed in her life. A whole new experience filled with things she'd never done before. Never tasted before. She had plenty of gold to spend. All she needed was something worth spending it on.
Crossing her arms again, she turned her head away from Jaune indignant as she spoke. "Well then I suggest you invite me to your festival," she stated sternly. "I would hate to have to burn it all down in a fit of dragon rage."
Never mind the fact that she couldn't do that, but she needed to bluff in order to get Jaune to believe her. More importantly, to invite her. It wasn't that she couldn't pose as a human, but she wanted a human escort to ensure she did things the proper way. Yang wasn't all that familiar with human customs, so having Jaune there as a guiding hand would be necessary to have a safe and fun time at the festival.
Surprisingly, Jaune complied all too willingly. He nodded, seemingly in agreement with her demands. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan."
"Then you'll be back to see me again?" she wondered. "To take me to your festival so that I don't destroy your pathetic human city with my fearsome flames?"
Jaune kept nodding quickly. "Y-yes. I'll come back on the first day of the festival, and we'll go there and… have fun?"
Fun. Yes, that was exactly what Yang wanted.
"And to keep an eye on you too!" Jaune hurriedly added. "Because as a knight of the Kingdom of Vale, I can't allow a dragon to run amok during the festival where all the lords and ladies of the land are in attendance."
To keep an eye on her, eh? Yang could live with that. As long as he didn't plan on killing her, or more importantly her sister, that was fine. She would enjoy some entertainment, and he would get to keep his city. It was win-win!
Wait, all the lords and ladies? Did that mean… "Will Princess Weiss be there too?" she wondered.
Blue eyes went wide. "Y-yes. But surely you wouldn't think of kidnapping the princess!"
Yang's hands drifted to her hips, and a haughty laugh belted through her lips. "Oh? And why wouldn't I? Dragons are known for kidnapping princesses!"
Yes, this was perfect! Something else to hold over his head so he wouldn't dare think of kidnapping her sister again. Princess Weiss may not have been related to him, but it was obvious even to this dragon that Jaune held her in high esteem. Plus, Yang wanted to get a good look at this princess and see how she stood up to her.
"But if you kidnap the princess the festival would definitely be cancelled," Jaune pointed out. "And then all the knights would come after you. Like Sir Peter Port. You don't want to mess with Sir Peter, the bravest and most renowned knight in all the land!"
Yang frowned. A cancelled festival would indeed be bad. She would just have to be on her best draconic behavior, then. "Very well. Then you should hope that you show me a good time, Jaune. For your princess' sake!" she threatened, albeit hollowly. She had no intention of kidnapping Princess Weiss at all, and by the sound of it she definitely didn't want to meet Sir Peter.
"Y-yeah, we'll have a great time then!" he smiled. "Just the two of us. A dragon and a knight. Having fun at the festival."
"Good, good, I anticipate your return then, knight," Yang said dismissively. "Now… now go before I change my mind! Dragons are fickle creatures, you know." They weren't, but Jaune didn't know that.
"Right. I, um, I'll see you next Monday then. For the festival."
"Excellent. I look forward to it."
"Same."
The two stood there for long moments staring at one another. Just when it seemed Jaune was about to turn, a familiar voice, and face, reared its head once more.
"Just kiss already!" Ruby demanded.
Peeking around from the cave entrance, Ruby was watching them as they stood face to face. Yang quickly took a step back.
"Ruby I told you to wait outside!" she shrieked.
"Aw come on!" the redhead whined.
"Nobody's kissing anyone again!" Yang insisted. She turned to Jaune in a panic. "Tell her, Jaune!"
"R-right!" he agreed. "No kissing today!"
An exasperated huff showed Ruby's clear disappointment at his response. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to wait until the festival." Ruby grinned evilly as she peered from around the corner. "Which I'll be going to too, by the way."
With another jab of her tongue, Ruby disappeared as quickly as she'd shown herself, leaving Jaune and Yang alone in the lair once more.
The young man scratched the back of his neck nervously. Yang ran a hand through her long golden hair. Silence, and awkwardness, permeated the cave.
"Leave, knight!" Yang insisted, shouting from out of nowhere and causing Jaune to jump in surprise.
He nodded quickly. "Oh! Right!" He turned around and started to march out, still holding the large ruby in his hands as he did so. Yang didn't know how to feel about that. She'd given it to him, after all, but he'd said he didn't want it.
Did this mean he'd accepted her gift? Did it mean that he would take it in place of her sister?
Whatever the case, all Yang knew was that her heart was pounding in her chest. What a day this had turned out to be. She would need to hear more about what the two of them had done today from Ruby, but that could wait. For now, she needed to calm down. She needed something to eat.
She needed something to wear.
All of the prettiest ladies in the kingdom would be at that festival, and Yang wasn't about to show up in rags. When she and Jaune made their grand entrance in the city of Vale, it would be done in style.
Author's Note: You people did this. This is all your fault.
I have to say that I'm completely blown away by the positive response this random idea received. You wanted more, so here's some more! I'll admit that there's no real plan or plot going forward, just a collection of ideas. Ruby was the first of these ideas. The festival is the second.
As you can see I'm doing some random world building as I go along. Weiss, Gwen, Port, and the Branwen Tribe are all available for use in future chapters. Some of them might even appear in chapter 3.
Thank you all for the incredible support. I truly appreciate it. More to come sometime in the future.
As always, thanks for reading.