Legend of Remnant

Chapter 5: Temper the Mind

The following weeks were not much better.

It fell quickly into a pattern; Jaune would be awoken before the sun was peeking out over the horizon, and made to run laps around Beacon. While he wasn't being pushed quite as hard as the first time, it was not uncommon for Jaune to stumble his way back to RNJR's dorm room, exhausted. He would usually be the one to wake Ruby and Ren up, as Nora had quickly started to wake up early on her own. She was a bundle of energy, and it wasn't too long into the school year that she started making use of the gym for strength training. She'd invited Jaune, but despite Link's insistence, he refused to join her. His gut feeling told him that he'd end up in more pain than usual.

Then, breakfast, and classes. Oh, how he hated classes. Not that he was doing terrible, but Link was once again a strict taskmaster, keeping him from dozing off. It didn't help that Link seemed genuinely interested in things like the history of Remnant, and he'd constantly ask questions, both to test what Jaune was supposed to have learned that day, and out of genuine curiosity. More than once he'd been annoyed into going to the library (something Jaune had to admit he'd never do on his own) to study up on a topic simply to satisfy his mental partner. The only bright point was Professor Port's class. Apparently the old Huntsman's grandiose tales were too much even for Link to believe, and often Jaune would be forced to keep a straight face as Link snarked away at his every tall tale.

Combat class was the worst though. It was becoming increasingly clear that Jaune was in way over his head when it came to actual battle. Sure, he was improving, at least when it came to dodging, but it wasn't enough. More often than not, he was getting paired up with Cardin, who despite insistence otherwise, was probably the second worst in the class. Seeing the gap between himself and Cardin was enough to always bring down Jaune's mood. Ruby and Nora would always try to cheer him up, but it was becoming enough of an occurrence that Jaune felt like it was only a matter of time before the truth came to light.

At night, he'd often spend his time out on the balcony, practicing sword drills at Link's coaching. It was, strangely enough, the only time he felt at ease. Sure, he swung the Master Sword over and over until it felt like his arms were about to fall off, but something about the blade always felt so...right. It felt more familiar in his hands than Crocea Mors ever did. When he tried to heft his ancestral blade, it felt so heavy, and unwieldy. The Master Sword though, sat in his hand like it had always been there. Link had told him that was to be expected; as the next Hero, the Master Sword was his. He was simply growing into it.

Vertical cut. Horizontal cut. Thrust. Hanging guard. Repeat. Jaune swung the blade, watching the almost silvery blade cut through the night sky.

'Jaune.'

"Hm?" Jaune asked, only half paying attention as he repeated the process. Vertical cut. Horizontal cut.

'When do you plan to tell your team about your falsified records?'

Hanging gua- Jaune's thoughts came to a screeching halt, and his grip went slack, causing him to drop the Master Sword. It fell to the ground in a clatter that had Jaune wincing. "T-tell them?!" he replied in a theatrical whisper. His gaze flickered to the dorm door, but no one seemed to even be paying attention to him, much less hear what he said. "Are you trying to get me kicked out of Beacon?!"

'You're going to be fighting as a team, correct?' Link stated, ignoring Jaune's sudden panic.

Jaune knelt down, picking the Master Sword back up. Its silvery, mirror-like sheen reflected his expression; a deep frown. "Y-yeah? What does that have to do with anything?"

'They'll be placing their trust in you.'

The Master Sword sliced through the air as Jaune tried to get back into his rhythm once more. "What are you trying to say?"

'They have a right to know that your experience is behind their own. They'll be relying on you right now, assuming that you've had the prior training. You owe it to them to tell them the truth.'

Jaune's hand gripped the Master Sword with a white knuckled grip, his eyes narrowed. "What if they bring it to Ozpin? What if I get kicked out? I risked a lot coming here, and now you're telling me to just expose myself?"

He was met with a stretch of silence, Jaune's arms once more practicing the swings that he'd been repeating previously. Then, 'Are you willing to potentially sacrifice their lives for your own dreams and desires?' Link's voice resounded in his head, not sounding angry or upset, but neutral. Regardless, his words struck home.

Jaune froze in mid swing, wordless. Blue eyes met themselves in the reflection of the Master Sword's blade, now filled with trepidation, and his grip tightened.

Link would remain silent for the rest of that night.

Vertical cut. Horizontal cut. Thrust. Hanging Guard. Repeat…

Sleep did not come easy to Jaune that night. He awoke at the crack of dawn as usual, although this time not from Link's insistence, but from his own body biological clock. He'd slept through that night; Link not having visited him during his slumber. While part of him was glad to finally have an uninterrupted night of rest, another part of him couldn't help but feel uneasy, as though Link had turned his back on him for his decision. Jaune lay in his bed, staring at his scroll's time, and gently sighed. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep; there was no way he'd be able to fall back asleep now. Slowly, he hauled himself out of the makeshift bunk, and shuffled out of his sleep clothes and into his normal clothing.

Each day had begun with stretches, and a run around Beacon, and without having anything else to do that morning, he did as he had been doing. Stretching in the hallway outside of his dorm, and walking to Beacon's front gate. The air was crisp, early enough that the sun was just peeking out over the horizon. Jaune could almost see his breath as he let out a sigh, and with a couple of practice bounces, started on his run. He ran past the gate, past the Bullhead landing zone, and the pavilion where many students would visit with their families when they came to visit the school. Past the first year dorms, where he glanced up at his dorm, lips drawn into a thin line. Link's words from the previous night echoed in his head. 'Are you willing to potentially sacrifice their lives for your dreams and desires?'

Of course he wasn't, but what was he to do? To simply outright admit his wrongdoing would most likely get him in trouble. He'd be thrown out of Beacon, unable to become a Huntsman. Sure, he could probably still train with Link, but without a license, he'd be unable to actually officially take requests, looked down on by his peers. How could he become a Hero like his ancestors if he wasn't even recognized for his duties? He'd have to go home in shame, back to his parents. Sure, they'd take him back, but it would just be another failed endeavor, one to add to the already growing pile. Lastly, his friends. He felt loath to just up and abandon Ruby, and he was really starting to like Ren and Nora. He'd never got a chance to go out with Weiss. To simply admit his wrongdoing now would undo everything he'd strived for.

Jaune stopped, leaning against the white stone walls of Beacon, letting out a breath. His brows furrowed. 'Damn it, Link…' he silently cursed his mental passenger, even as he sank to the ground, resting an arm on his knees. The more he tried to figure out an easy solution to his problem, the more frustrated he got.

"Jaune?"

The young man clenched a fist as his thoughts ran wild. He didn't want to get Ruby, Ren, or Nora hurt because of his inexperience, but how was he to admit that? How could he tell them of his lack of training? Sure, he was being trained by some prior Hero, but he couldn't tell them that; they'd think he'd gone mental! Was there even an answer to this?

"Jaune? Hello?"

It was so unfair! He was being forced to decide on his dreams of becoming a Huntsman, but potentially harming his friends, or letting them know the truth and losing his shot at greatness! Maybe he was so angry about it because he knew he'd just been ignoring the issue, trying to pretend it would all be fine. Still, it didn't mean he had to like it.

"Jaune, are you okay?"

The words spoken finally pierced through the miasma of his thoughts, and Jaune looked up, only to find himself face to face with Pyrrha, who'd been leaning over, her face close to his. He blinked, his gaze flickering from her face, then downwards, and let out a cry of surprise at the view, jumping in place, and accidentally slamming his head backwards against the wall. "Gah! OW!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Pyrrha exclaimed, seemingly unaware of her position.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, wincing. "Nah, it's fine. You just gave me a scare is all."

"Is...is everything alright?" Pyrrha asked, extending a hand to help Jaune up. He took it, and she lifted him to his feet.

Jaune shook his head, both to clear his head of his prior thoughts. "Y-yeah, everything's fine! I was just taking a break!"

Pyrrha frowned slightly. "I...see. Well, if anything is on your mind, I'd be happy to hear you out?"

Jaune opened his mouth to refuse, and paused. Slowly, he closed his mouth, and his face took on a more thoughtful countenance. "Well…" He glanced around, checking to see if Weiss was around. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset her by occupying her partner. From the looks of it, the area was clear. "I...I have this friend," he began lamely.

"A friend?"

"Yeah. He, um...well, he has this dream you see. He wants to be famous, to be looked up to, but the problem is, he's also got a secret. It...it could potentially put some of his friends in danger, but if he reveals it, then he loses out on accomplishing his dream. It's something that's incredibly important to him, but...if there's even a chance that his secret could hurt his friends…" Jaune trailed off, brow furrowing.

Pyrrha was silent for a moment, long enough for Jaune to glance back to her. Her expression was thoughtful, neutral. "Well," she began, "I'd think that if this friend of yours was truly friends with someone, they'd understand. They might be upset at him hiding it, but I think that if he were to explain himself and come clean, they'd understand and help him. Still, I think he owes it to his friends to explain himself."

Jaune remained silent, mulling Pyrrha's words over in his head. "Thanks. I'll, uh...I'll tell him that."

Pyrrha smiled at him. "Of course. I hope that advice helps this...friend, of yours."

Jaune cleared his throat and looked away, having caught Pyrrha's pause. "R-right." He stretched his legs. He had a lot to think about, but for the time being, he wanted to give his mind a break. "Well, back to training."

"Would you mind if I joined you?" Pyrrha softly queried.

"Well," Jaune began. "I mean, I don't wanna upset Weiss or anything…"

A strange look passed quickly over Pyrrha's face; so quickly, that Jaune wasn't really sure he actually saw it, or that it wasn't just a trick of the light. A blink of the eye and it was gone, replaced with her usual warm smile. "It's fine, really. I'm sure she's still probably asleep. She was up late last night insisting on double and triple checking everyone's schoolwork, and getting into arguments with Yang and Blake over their work."

Jaune felt his lips draw into a grimace. "Yeesh. Thankfully Ruby's a lot more easy going. Actually, it kinda feels like Ren and I have to keep up on Ruby and Nora."

Pyrrha chuckled, joining Jaune in his stretches. "Sounds like you got your work cut out for you." Standing, the young woman gave Jaune another warm smile. "Shall we?"

Jaune nodded. "Sure. Go easy on me though, would you? I'm still kinda getting used to this level of exercise."

"Sure. We'll do some light jogging around the school. Would you mind spotting me for some sit ups?" With that, Pyrrha began to jog away.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, sure." With his mind still uneasy, he began to follow Pyrrha in hopes of distracting himself from the pressing question that kept nagging at the back of his mind.

Are you willing to potentially sacrifice their lives for your dreams and desires?

The two had separated after completing the morning's exercises. Pyrrha was mercifully easy on him, and while she did press him, it wasn't anything worse than what he was used to. Weiss hadn't shown up, which disappointed and strangely relieved Jaune, and both he and Pyrrha parted ways at their respective dorm rooms. Jaune opened the door quietly, and stepped inside. Ren and Ruby were still asleep, and Nora had apparently awoken after he'd left, and was most likely using the weight training room.

Jaune approached Ruby's bunk, the young Huntress. She was curled up and was clinging to a bundle of her blankets, which must have gotten scrunched up when she was sleeping. He stared at her, silently, lips drawn downwards. How would she react to the news that her partner had lied his way into Beacon? He could almost imagine her disappointed expression.

'You lied to me? I thought we were friends!'

Jaune sighed, resting his hand against the wall. Did he have to tell? Maybe he could hold it off? They were still early in Beacon; what were the chances of him actually getting involved in anything that would require teamwork? He could always wait until he was better established as a prospective Huntsman. Surely then, if he revealed his secret, they'd be less likely to turn him in, right? Jaune shook his head, as through dislodging his thoughts, and turned back to Ruby. "Hey. Crater-Face."

"Mfffph."

"Wake up."

"Rrrrff."

Jaune couldn't help but quirk a smile. "You're not a dog, don't give me that. C'mon, up and at 'em!" Ruby curled up into a tighter ball, making a noise of distress. Jaune reached up and gently shook Ruby's shoulder. "Crater-face! C'mon!"

Silver eyes opened up, bleary and half-focused. "Huh? Whazzat?"

"Are you planning on eating sleep for breakfast?" Jaune asked, half-teasingly.

Ruby slowly rose, stretching and yawning. "R-right. Sorry."

"No need to apologize." Jaune replied, checking his scroll. There was still a good hour or so before classes began.

"Are you going to wake up Ren?" Ruby asked through her yawn.

Jaune shook his head. "Nah. Nora was very insistent that it was 'her job,' and I wasn't going to argue that with her."

Ruby gave a soft giggle, even as she tiredly climbed out of the top bunk, landing to the ground with a light thump. "Those two are totally 'together,' together."

"Not yet. They totally want to be though."

Ruby rifled around through her dresser, removing her clothes for the day, and the two fell silent, with only Ren's steady breathing to break the silence. Then, Ruby quietly spoke up. "Um, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"How come...how come you don't want to train with me?"

Jaune blinked and paused, turning around, only to see Ruby pull something lacy out of the drawer. He immediately turned around, face red with embarrassment, but it didn't seem as though Ruby had noticed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, you're always off training late at night, and you wake up before any of us and only wake me up when you're finished…" Ruby finished, shutting the drawer.

Jaune rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. Because I'm far behind you, and have to spend all of my time trying to catch up? "I uh…" Jaune began, pausing, "I've got seven sisters, remember? I'm used to not waking people up too early."

Ruby chuckled. "It's fine! I don't mind; I've gotta get used to getting up early as a Huntress anyway. Evil never sleeps!" she finished bombastically, earning a nervous laugh from Jaune.

"You sure? I mean, I don't do a whole lot early anyway, just a lot of running around. Cardio and the like. You really don't need help in that department." Jaune continued, trying to not make it sound like he was hoping to convince her not to train with him.

Ruby gave a 'hmm' and made her way to the bathroom. "I guess. See you at the cafeteria?"

Jaune nodded. "Bet. I'll save you guys a spot."

"You'd better!"

Jaune listened for the door to the bathroom to close and picked up his bookbag for the day. He glanced at Ren, and chuckled. "You and Nora aren't fooling anyone, you know that right?" Opening the door, Jaune stepped outside into the hall, but as he did, he could have sworn he heard a sleepy voice reply.

"Don't know what you're talking about…"

Jaune sat down, tray in hand. Food at Beacon was...passable. Having to feed countless students each year probably wasn't cheap, so he hadn't been expecting much. Still, as he glanced down at his plate of what he assumed was scrambled eggs, he had to admit he did miss some good home cooking. The students did have access to common rooms with kitchen materials; maybe he could try his hand at cooking?

'A favored past time.'

Jaune nearly jumped in surprise upon hearing the now familiar voice of Link. "Where've you been?" he whispered to himself. He glanced around, making sure no one else was nearby to hear him talking to himself.

'Even I require some rest from time to time. Besides, you went through with the usual morning exercises, so you didn't need me there for that.'

Jaune grumbled and scooped up a forkful of potential scrambled eggs, his brow furrowed. It was Link's fault he'd been spending the whole morning racking his brains for answers to his current dilemma. "Can't say I didn't enjoy having an actual full night sleep to myself for once."

'Hm. If I'm not mistaken, today's schedule has you going out into a...Forever Fall forest? I've never heard of it.' Link answered, completely disregarding Jaune's grumbling.

"Yeah," Jaune murmured quietly, twirling his fork around between his fingers. "Have to collect Red Maple Syrup. Hate the stuff. It's super sticky, gets everywhere, and I think I'm allergic to it."

'Odd allergy, that. It should be a simple task, but don't let your guard down. Carelessness breeds weakness.'

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, and was cut off by the clattering of a tray hitting the table in front of him. His head snapped up, to see one Yang Xiao Long sitting in front of him with a grin. "Yo, what's up Vomit Boy?"

Deciding it wasn't worth the hassle to fight against his embarrassing nickname, he shrugged. "Eating what passes for breakfast around here."

"Right?" Yang replied, holding up what looked like it was supposed to have been a piece of bacon, but it was small and shriveled, like they'd cut the smallest portion they could legally get away with. "Makes me miss breakfast with my old man. Are those eggs, or are you eating yellow play dough?"

Jaune lifted another fork, stared at it for a few moments, and took a bite. "Eggs. Barely." He replied through his mouthful. "So. How's being in a team with Weiss been?"

Yang made a face, scarfing down her pathetic excuse for bacon. "Ugh. Don't remind me. Trust me Vomit Boy, you have no idea how lucky you are. I'd trade my sister for Weiss any day of the week. At least she wouldn't get on my case for minor spelling errors."

Jaune gave a wry smile. "She just wants you to get good grades?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Pfft, yeah, so she can brag about how she's the best. No offense, but if you guys managed to surpass her in anything, I think she'd have an seizure. Trust me, you dodged a bullet."

"Is that why you're here and not with the rest of your team?"

Yang chuckled. "Guilty as charged. I feel kinda bad for Blake, but Pyrrha wasn't around for me to throw at Weiss."

Jaune grimaced. "Sacrificing your teammate like that?" He paused, nearly biting his lip at the phrase. Damn it, was everything this morning going to remind him of his current dilemma?

"Nah; I asked if she wanted to come with me, but she was content to read her trashy porn novels."

"They're romance novels!" Blake's voice spoke up, and both Jaune and Yang turned to see her approach, apple in one hand, and book in the other. "And thanks for leaving me to deal with the princess by myself."

"Suuuure." Yang replied back with a grin. "And you're fine; at least you can easily ignore her."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Not as easily as you'd think."

"Yang!" Ruby's voice cried out, and Yang was suddenly blindsided by her sister, rushing forward to hug her.

"Heya sis. Ready for the day?"

"Yep!" Ruby replied, popping the 'p.' "Can't wait for the first field trip of the year! I wonder if we'll run into any Grimm?"

Yang rolled her shoulders. "I hope so; this year's been kinda boring all things considered."

Jaune frowned, and his gaze dropped back to his breakfast. As the table grew more animated, he couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. He prayed that they ran into nothing major during their trip, or his decision might come to bite him sooner than he'd hoped…

A/N: Hell, I hated writing this. Not necessarily writing, just trying to get this chapter out.

I've had nothing else to do lately, after having lost my job, so I figured I might as well do a little writing to pass the time between now and starting school again. Legend of Remnant was an idea I quite enjoyed, especially being such a huge Zelda fan. This chapter though? It was like trying to pull teeth from a chicken. (Hehe, get it? Rooster Teeth? Teeth from a chicken? ...shut up, I thought it was clever.) Many of you might not appreciate a chapter in which not a whole lot really gets done, but I felt this chapter needed to be brought up. Consider this a re-write of the Jaundice arc, in a sense, but less about Jaune stepping up as a leader, and more focus on his forged transcripts, and what potential harm they could lead to his teammates.

Either way, it's an update, and hopefully the next chapter should be a little easier to get out. Not sure about updating my other work at the moment, but at least for a little while, I got the urge to write more on this.

Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou.