Ah. Yesterday was a day and a half, wasn't it? Ffs. No internet all day on a day when I needed it for work, so I had to drive into the office to use theirs. Basically worked the whole day away and couldn't write an Arcanum chapter yesterday as a result.

Bright news is that my last remaining editorial member comes back off holiday tomorrow so she takes her workload back, and my new starter is confirmed starting 15th, so then things finally start going back to normal for me. In the meantime, I actually found time to write a proper chapter. Go me!

Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 41

Dad.

Never in Jaune's life had one word evoked so much mixed a reaction. On the one side, dad – relief that it wasn't someone worse, joy at seeing him, safety in having a strong and common sense huntsman around.

On the other hand, dad – having somehow tracked him down in a tunnel on the way to Mountain Glenn, having no doubt heard how he was a wanted international criminal, and frowning in that "I'm not upset or disappointed; I am two steps from exploding" way.

It was a common myth that Jaune only became tongue tied around women. This was wrong. Jaune's tongue was an eldritch beast with severe anxiety issues and a burning hate for its owner, and would, in fact, attempt to suffocate Jaune at any chance it had. On this occasion, Jaune stammered and choked and let out a long, garbled series of sounds that might have passed for words back in an era where people were clubbing each other over the head as a form of communication.

Vernal had no such problems.

"This is your dad!?" The bandit looked Nicholas Arc up and down. "Shit. Where did your genetics go wrong?"

Vernal also had no tact.

Nicholas, meanwhile, had no chill. And less patience.

"I've been trying to catch up with you ever since you ran away with my weapon, son. Imagine my surprise when I tracked it down to a ruined camp, a destroyed tent, enough Grimm tracks to suggest a small pack had descended on you, and no hide or hair of a body. All I found was your backpack, left behind at the scene of a life and death struggle."

"I did that!" Tyrian declared helpfully.

Nicholas didn't break eye contact with Jaune but did nod in the psychopath's direction. "Thank you. I dread to imagine what would have happened to my son if you hadn't saved him."

"Saved…?" Tyrian asked. With good reason, too, since he'd been the one to bring the Grimm to Jaune and then attack him. The madman almost looked like he was about to say that, but for Salem digging an elbow into his gut. "A-Ah. Yes. Saved. I saved him. Definitely. I mean, here he is. Safe and sound." Tyrian waved to Jaune's banged-up body. "-ish."

"D-Dad…"

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Nicholas growled. His dad wasn't one to threaten and hadn't ever hit him or his sisters outside of light play or training, but right here and now Jaune thought he might. "I thought you died! I… I grieved." His fist clenched tight and shook, but Nicholas restrained himself. "I was terrified. I didn't dare tell your mother until I knew for sure."

"I-It wasn't by choice, dad…"

"Being attacked wasn't, but failing to contact us? Not having the time to even call and tell me you were okay?"

"We crash landed in Vacuo! It's not like we were on holiday!"

"Yes. Vacuo, Mistral, Argus and then Vale. I've followed you across all of Remnant. Are you telling me none of those places had a functioning CCT? Not one?"

"Mistral does." Mercury chimed in with a smug grin. "It's at Haven, but it covers all of Mistral and there's no fee to patch a call internationally as long as you have a basic scroll contract."

"Thank you, Mercury," Jaune gritted out, glaring at him with a look that promised death. "Your input is very much appreciated."

"I'm here to help, pal."

"I have so many questions." Nicholas let out an explosive sigh. "Why you're a wanted criminal, how you escaped Argus." He paused to glare. "Where my daughter, daughter-in-law and grandson have disappeared to."

"Oh. Uh. We left them in Menagerie."

"Menagerie!? WHY!?"

"B-Because they would have gotten in trouble for aiding us in Argus? Also, Saphron really liked Menagerie's beaches, and the faunus there were pretty nice to them both."

"Adrian called me uncle!" Tyrian chirped.

"Adrian called him uncle," Jaune said, nodding and taking the brief distraction for what it was. Sadly, his father didn't understand how awful that was and why he should be trying to beat Tyrian black and blue right now. Crud. Jaune pulled out the big guns. "It's not my fault!" He pointed to Salem. "Blame her if you want to blame someone-"

"JAUNE!" Never had Nicholas shouted so loud. It echoed in the confined tunnels and silenced Jaune immediately. "You are supposed to be supporting her through this time, not blaming her for your mistakes."

What? Why not? And Salem was to blame for everything. He looked to her for help, not entirely sure why he expected her to be of any help, but desperate enough to make the effort. The stars must have aligned because instead of proclaiming some nonsense about how he was blessed to follow her orders, Salem met his gaze, sighed and stepped forward.

"Actually, your son speaks some truth. Much as I hate to suggest it, I hold some responsibility in his current-"

Nicholas Arc moved. It was sudden, purposeful, and Tyrian looked like he might fly into a rage but for Hazel placing a hand on his shoulder to restrain him. Salem's eyes widened as the man stepped into her personal space, then widened even further when he engulfed her in a powerful hug, sweeping Salem's feet off the floor as he held her.

"You don't need to say it."

"E-Excuse me…?" Even Jaune felt Salem could be forgiven for stammering. "T-This is most-"

"Responsibility is always split in matters like this. It takes two to tango after all. I'm not best pleased with Jaune keeping this a secret, but I am relieved he's taking responsibility for the situation he's put you in."

"Situation?" Salem made an understanding sound. "Ah, that. Y-Yes, it's been quite a shock…"

"I can imagine. Are you well? Healthy?"

Still in his father's arms, Salem seemed to relax a little, now that she was on familiar territory. Jaune wasn't sure how his dad found out about him turning Salem from a Grimm Queen into a human – maybe that Hazel guy told him – and he also wasn't sure why dad was sympathetic about it.

"I am as healthy as I can be given the circumstances," Salem replied. "There have been changes. They are… normal, I believe, but I've not had to deal with them in such a long time."

"Appetite?"

"Yes!" Salem nodded quickly. "I keep getting hungry, and so often."

"That's to be expected. Look, if you need any advice or just want to talk, you can do so with me. I have experience with this kind of thing."

Salem blinked at him. "You do…?"

"Yes." Nicholas chuckled and let Salem go. He was blushing lightly. "You could say I've more experience with this than most people. Anyway, you shouldn't be down here. This isn't a fit place for someone like you."

"Hmph! I wholeheartedly agree!" Salem crossed her arms and glared at the nearby White Fang. It must have physically pained someone of her arrogance and status to come walk in some abandoned tunnel like a miner in a shaft. "Unfortunately, I did not have much option as my knight had been taken from me! Kidnapped!"

Nicholas cocked one eyebrow and then looked at Jaune. "Your knight…?"

"It's what she calls me." Jaune explained away. The less dad knew, the better.

"A pet name?"

"Eh. Sure."

He smiled. "It's cute. Your mother will be thrilled to hear her son is someone's knight in shining armour."

Ha ha. Very funny. Jaune rolled his eyes, even as Salem boldly said, "He lacks armour at this point, but I intend to rectify that in the future. I want to see him in silvered armour with a bold blue cape."

"Huh. A fan of roleplay, I assume? Will he be calling you his queen?"

Salem nodded. "Naturally."

"Yep." Jaune said at the exact same time, rolling his eyes. "Look, dad, this isn't the best time. The White Fang just got attacked by Grimm in Mountain Glenn, and I'm fairly sure they're after me."

"Why would they be after you?"

Jaune hadn't actually paid much attention to the people with his dad, so he jumped at hearing the question from a guy who had hovered a little further back. He was tall and thin – not as tall as Hazel, but who was? – with black hair straked with grey and a… was that a cape floating behind him? It took all sorts. Jaune narrowed his eyes, wondering if he'd met the guy before or if he was just familiar for another reason.

"Who are you again…?"

"One of Ozma's." Salem sneered. "I can smell him on you."

The man flinched. "You can? Okay, that sounds weird as hell. I'm Qrow and I'm not here to cause trouble!" he said quickly when Tyrian approached. "Hey, hey! I said I'm not here to cause trouble. Why are you arming yourself!?"

"Tyrian." Salem said tiredly. "Stand down."

"Awwww, but murder-"

"No, Tyrian. No murder."

"Can I at least mutilate him a little?"

"No!"

"But-"

"No buts. I would rather we not waste more time in this… tunnel." Salem shuddered as a spider crawled down the wall closest her. "One such as I should not be down in this filth with the rats and insects."

"No." Nicholas said sternly. "You shouldn't be. You should be safe and comfortable, with access to whatever amenities you need."

"Ahh. Finally, someone understands!"

"Can we get back to the Grimm for a moment?" Qrow asked. "He said the Grimm were after him. Specifically, after him. Isn't anyone going to ask why that is or even wonder?"

"It's Jaune." Vernal said. "It'd be quicker to make a list of who doesn't want to kidnap him at this point."

"They're Grimm!" Qrow yelled. "Grimm!"

"It's probably just a sign of how powerful his `kidnap-me` aura is that it can subvert the natural instinct of Grimm to kill on sight."

"Ahem." Hazel coughed meaningfully. Unlike with Tyrian, who everyone would routinely ignore when he had an idea, everyone paused to listen. Hazel hadn't proven himself insane or stupid yet. Yet. "I may have an inclination as to why this is happening," he said gruffly. "I attempted to contact Arthur and Cinder after losing track of Salem. Now, neither will answer my calls, but when I first reached out, I managed to speak briefly to Cinder."

"Who?" Jaune asked.

"Cinder." Emerald said. "She's our leader, a wonderful, intelligent and skilled-"

"Cinder." Salem interrupted her. "Entitled little snot. Always thought she deserved everything; never willing to work for it. Arrogant to a tee. I'd have taken her over my knee if I didn't think it a waste of time."

Emerald looked scandalised.

"Pretty much." Hazel agreed with a shrug. "When I did speak with her, she was laughing wildly. Said something about you dying-"

"What?"

"And how she was now the one in charge."

"WHAAAT!?"

/-/

To Salem, the journey back to Vale was a blur.

Ozma's lackey – crow spelled wrong of all things; his father apparently couldn't read or write – was able to bring them to a hidden access point that huntsmen apparently used to clear the tunnels once a year. It entered and exited outside the city walls in the event Grimm found it, but it wasn't hard to sneak back in with the use of Emma's Semblance to hypnotise the guards. All of that was as good as meaningless – as were the White Fang who had sworn their devotion to her before scurrying off to their homes.

Cinder had taken over the Grimm.

It wasn't surprise she felt, nor was it dismay at being betrayed. In all honesty, she'd pegged Cinder as the type to betray her ever since she recruited her. Salem had just never cared because the girl was so dense, she'd telegraph the move coming years before it did, and Salem obviously never feared it getting anywhere. No, Cinder's betrayal was no real surprise, nor was Watts' if she were counting heads.

Rage was the predominant emotion on display. Blood boiling, mind numbing, finger twitching rage. Hot at first, and then cold. Very, very cold.

Cinder…

Well, she'd have to die, wouldn't she?

Not a great loss. Not one at all. A little twist and a snap of the little snit's neck and she'd be dealt with. The Grimm, she could reclaim in her own time, once Jaune figured out how his stupid little Semblance worked. Cinder did not have to wait.

I don't need my powers back to deal with her. In fact, if she really has taken steps to try and steal my power then it will be all the bigger defeat if I take her down without using them.

Just the thought of her face when Salem beat her as a human was beautiful. It would be the perfect way to humiliate her. Cinder probably thought the only reason she was strong at all was her power over the Grimm. As if she and Ozma hadn't ruled a kingdom, defeated armies and fought back invasions with nothing more than their wits, leadership and the people under their command.

Cinder was a child in that regard. She saw the culmination of hundreds of years of hard work and boiled it all down to someone having a special ability. Pathetic.

"You say her skin was as white as mine used to be?" she quizzed Hazel in the safety of her room.

"As white as ash, my queen. Cinder has taken a dip into the pools."

"How did she survive it? I only did because of my curse."

"Watts might have had a hand there."

Oh right, Watts was a doctor. Hard to remember that when Salem hadn't needed one for several thousand years. Had medicine really evolved that far? It seemed only months ago they'd been sniffing pee and balancing humours. How were they already at a level to keep someone alive as their body was wracked and devoured by the very essence of the Grimm? Or had it…?

"Cinder may well be dying." Salem mused. "That she wants to kidnap Jaune is telling. It could be a bait to draw me out, but it could also be for Jaune himself. If she is having second thoughts, she might want his Semblance to reverse the process."

"The answer is obvious-" Hazel began.

"Cinder wants his babies!" Tyrian gasped.

Hazel and Salem stared long and hard at the man, who stood and raced out the room screaming how he had to train Jaune to protect his innocence. Neither Salem nor Hazel stopped him. The conversation would only become more intelligent for the lack of his presence.

"What his Semblance can do one way, it might be able to do the other." Hazel said. "She or Watts may be hoping they can use it to stabilise Cinder. I'm not sure if Watts is loyal to her or pressganged, but he will have no choice but to throw his lot in with her now."

"A shame." Salem said. "I liked his moustache."

"It was a good moustache," Hazel agreed with a solemn nod. "But if we're going to have to replace Cinder anyway, we might as well do the same with him. I've heard legends of an even greater moustache here in Vale, currently employed in Beacon."

"Ozma. Damn it. No, leave it be. I've enough to deal with currently. Recruitment can wait."

"As you say. What of Jaune Arc? Will he be recruited, or will he be taking a… closer position to yourself?"

Salem blinked, leaned back and eyed Hazel oddly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Only that you appear to have some regard for him, my queen."

"W-Well of course I do. If he dies, I won't have a way back to my former strength."

Hazel eyed her. "Is that your only concern for him?"

"Yes!" she said.

Hazel kept watching her, and as her face heated up – blast this human body's shoddy temperature regulation – he began to smile. Salem had the oddest thought he didn't believe her. How dare he!

"As my lady says," he said, and again he sounded more amused then obedient. "If I may, I don't think it a particularly bad thing if you were to develop a closer relationship with someone. You have been alone long enough."

"Hold your tongue, Hazel! What goes on between my loyal knight and I is my business!"

Hazel kept smiling.

"Not that anything is going on!" she blurted out.

"Tyrian tells me Jaune was granted the honour of rubbing his hands upon your body while you were sailing to Vale. Something about rubbing his creamy white stuff into your skin. He seemed quite jealous."

Thousands of years old or not, Salem obviously understood bodily secretions seeing as she'd had children. Her face flamed and she gripped her fist tight. It shook before her as she hissed, "I will kill Tyrian one day. When he stops being useful. This, I swear."

"My queen. You did not deny-"

"OUT! Get out and let me scheme!"

Blasted minions and their insatiable curiosity. It was bad enough that crow person had cornered her and demanded to know her intentions for Vale. At least the look on his face when she said she "couldn't have cared less about this shitty city" was worth it. He'd looked so flummoxed, caught between shock, relief and even a little indignation of all things.

At least once he got an assurance she wasn't leading an army of the Grimm here (because she could not) and that she wasn't planning the fall of Beacon (because she could not be bothered), he calmed down and promised not to inform Ozma or Atlas of where they were hiding.

In his own words, if she didn't want to cause trouble for Vale then he didn't want to cause it by forcing her into a corner. He had expressed his intent to keep checking in to make sure she was keeping her word, but since she had next to no interest in warring with Ozma in this weakened state, that wasn't exactly a problem.

Stupid humans, she thought to herself. Always think they're so special. Oh, you should want to conquer and destroy me. Look at me, the poor victim. Those idiots didn't know victimised until they'd annoyed a god into cursing them for all eternity.

The door opened and Salem was about ready to snap at whomever entered until she caught the smell of cooked food. Her head poked up, hair still a little frizzy from her trip through the tunnels, to see Jaune's father. And wasn't that a surprise. Salem had long forgotten anything more than the vaguest sentiments of love for hers, but here was a living representation of Jaune's birth.

He looked more the knight than his son did – tall, firm and uncompromising. He was handsome, she would freely admit, but Salem still found herself preferring Jaune for some asinine reason. He was fallible and oftentimes useless, but he was funny, and she had raw strength aplenty. Jaune was also earnest in his efforts to please her, even if he got abducted all too often.

"I thought you might want some food." Nicholas Arc said as he set the tray down. He'd brought her a veritable feast. Far more than any one woman needed. That was good. Salem was used to being spoiled. "I didn't know what you preferred, so I brought a bit of everything."

"I am not picky," she lied. As royalty, she was expected to be discerning. "It is good timing, though. I was hungry." Daintily, she took some of the toasted bread and nibbled on the edge. Humans had invented many things, but chocolate and nut spread on toasted bread was by far the best thing they had accomplished since her rule. "I haven't eaten this much in years. All this travel has me ravenous."

"That's to be expected. You need your strength."

"Hm." Yes, she did, and all too often did the others not understand that. Here she was, suffering away as she was forced to – gasp! – walk on her own two feet and wait on them to cook for her. Scandalous. "It's hard enough with all the walking I've had to do."

Nicholas was nodding. "It's a burden to carry at times."

"Indeed it is." Salem nibbled for a moment, then felt a rush of pity for her knight. This was his father, and it was clear the scion was judging his heir. It wouldn't hurt her to assist a little. "To be fair, Jaune did carry me some ways."

The man brightened. "I'm glad to hear that. I've always taught him to be responsible."

"He tries. Sometimes he fails, but it is never through lack of effort."

"That's Jaune alright." The older Arc laughed. "Jaune always was earnest, but sometimes he gets in over his head. I was always afraid one day he'd get into something he can't get out of. I'm pleased to see he's settled on this. Less pleased about the whole international criminal debacle."

"It is a misunderstanding."

"Hmmm." Nicholas eyed her warily, and Salem wondered how much or little Hazel had told him. "I'm glad to hear you and Jaune are still together at any rate. Sometimes, people don't prepare and then can't deal with one another after it happens."

That wasn't an issue for her. Salem had no choice but to deal with Jaune, like it or not, for what he'd done to her. He was the only one who might be able to turn her back. "Your son has… not been a bore to deal with." Salem said carefully. "It has been a shock to him." Learning of her heritage and being pursued. "But he has risen to the challenge admirably."

"Oh?"

"Better than I hoped," she admitted. "I would dare say he has even impressed me at times, and that is no easy task. You will not tell him this!" she declared suddenly. "I do not want him getting a big head!"

"Ha ha." Nicholas was full of laughter. "I won't. I won't. Still, I'm glad to hear things are well between you." He laid his hand on hers. It was… comforting. "I just want you to know that you have my support. Both you and Jaune. Family sticks together, and family means a lot to an Arc."

Family. Such an odd term to use. Salem drew her hand back, blushing slightly and unable to find words for so generous an offer. Did he mean that in the sense of gratitude for looking after his son? Or was he just saying that he stood by his son's new occupation and would support her because of Jaune's loyalty. Salem was not sure, but both ultimately meant the same thing.

"Thank you. I had not given thought to it, but I suppose I should have spoken to his parents before taking him in."

It was the right thing to do with an indentured servitude like that. His parents should have had the final say. That said, she hadn't really intended to let Jaune slip away.

"It's fine. Jaune's a man now and can make his own decisions. That's not to say I won't have word with him though."

Salem sensed the recrimination. "Words? On what?"

"On his responsibilities." The Arc said. "My son needs to take more care of you."

He did…?

"He's put you in this state and you're busy enough dealing with it. He should be the one to think if you're hungry and bring you food, not me."

Well, yes, she supposed he should. Jaune was her knight, her seneschal. It should not be up to his father – someone not even in her court – to bring her food.

"He should take care of you every step of the way."

"Yes." Salem said, brightening to the idea. "Yes, he should…"

"If that means bringing you food, so be it. But he should also be there to support you emotionally and physically, be it when you're tired, angry or can't walk any further."

"Yes!" She was nodding now, eyes lighting up as she imagined herself reclining back on a chair balanced atop Jaune's shoulders, sipping a glass of wine as he carried her to their next destination. "Yes, he should do that."

"He may even need to help you bathe."

"Yes- wait, what!?"

"If you struggle." Nicholas told her. "I know you might not be yet, but take it from me, things will get harder and harder. You shouldn't be put into a position where you have to suffer in silence."

"A-Ah… well…" He wasn't wrong. Also, Salem had not always bathed herself. That was what servants were for, but even she was of the opinion that said servants should share your gender. That said, it had been a long time since she had a proper, tended-to, bath. "I-I don't know," she stammered faintly. "For Jaune to see me like that…"

"It's nothing he hasn't seen before, is it?"

Was Jaune's father implying-? Salem's eyes widened. Tyrian! He must have heard the blasted story concerning the sunburn. Salem's face burned dark red, and she clenched her fist again. That damned rat!

"I'm sorry." Nicholas said. "I shouldn't be embarrassing you like this."

"I am not embarrassed!" She was, but she wouldn't be admitting it so easily. "A-And you need not speak to Jaune. I am his queen, and he is my knight. If there is anyone who should take him to task for his lack of service, it will be I. Anything less is unacceptable."

"Hm. It might be best if it does come from you." Nicholas nodded. "It's always better for people to set rules and discuss these things together rather than have someone else do it for them." He smiled at her again. "It also proves you're both mature enough to talk and work things out."

"Well of course I'm mature enough!"

"I was more worried about my son…"

Oh, well, understandable. Salem let her temper go. If it wasn't her being implied as reckless, she had no reason to feel upset. She continued to eat instead, not quite sure why the action seemed to please Jaune's father, but happy to continue regardless.

"I have to say I was worried at first," he said. "My son is young, younger than I was, and it's a father's job to worry. That said, aside from this misunderstanding with the law – which I still want to hear about – I can't help but think the two of you are handling things admirably."

"I am used to working with others. Leading them."

"Maybe that's what Jaune needs. A strong woman unafraid to tell him when he's being an idiot."

"All men need that." Salem said. "But as for Jaune, I am more than happy to be that person."

She must have said something right because Nicholas Arc looked so happy then, so proud. He smiled at her with clear adoration, and for a moment she didn't know what she had done to prompt it. Then, he stood, dusting his trousers down.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I'm pleased to have met you, Salem, and I'm glad you've taken an interest in my son. I wish you both all the happiness in the world."

Salem blinked up at him. Uncomprehending. "Thank you…?"

"If you'll excuse me, I need to contact my wife and tell her the good news. I hope you understand. She's been desperate to hear anything."

"Yes. By all means." He was not hers to keep, and if Jaune's mother wished to also hear that her son had been employed as her knight, so be it. She watched Nicholas leave the room, nibbling her food all the time. "What a strange man…"

At least Jaune's family seemed to be happy with the whole `enslaved` thing they had going on. Bizarre of them, but maybe it was another one of those modern day things she didn't understand.

Now, she had to decide how she was going to torture Tyrian for humiliating her. Preferably in a way his twisted mind didn't take as some ridiculous and creepy reward…

Oh god, no. Salem and Jaune being completely oblivious to the subtext because they know their relationship, and both are assuming Hazel filled Nicholas in correctly. Oh dear.

Next Chapter: 8th November

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur