Here we go. Btw, for the distance and the march from Vale to Menagerie, this story is obviously assuming Menagerie is on the mainland and not the island. That ought to have been clear from the start, what with Ruby having claimed (and being believed) to have walked it all. I've based the distance on ancient roman marching standards from Italy to Gaul for the travel-time. Or the far end of Gaul. Seems about right in my mind.

Also did some extra research on food sources in medieval times and their availability. Did you know, before the complete over-fishing our ballooning population has done now, records suggest that rivers were so abundant with fish that you could reach your hands in and catch them. Medieval peasants actually ate a lot of fish and were quite healthy in terms of food. They didn't starve quite as often as fantasy likes to have you believe. Outside of winter, anyway.

Cover Art: Z-ComiX

Chapter 117

The journey to Menagerie was neither short nor easy. All told, it would take five whole weeks to traverse the distance, not accounting for any stops along the way at villages or trading posts lasting longer than a day. And there were a few, no matter their preparations. Wagon wheels broke, axles snapped, and the horses deserved rest here and there. For the first week, each stop was an anxious and nail-biting affair, Ruby hovering by windows sensing for magic on the air and the pursuit of the Collegium.

One week in, and with neither sight nor sound of them, she began to relax, to let go, to enjoy. Their procession was an exciting and startling one for every village they passed through. Though wary of so many armed men and women at first, the village folk soon calmed down when it was clear they were only passing through, becoming much more friendly. Children clamoured for stories or a look at the brave knights and the noble lords and ladies, while wily craftsmen did their best to hike up the price of repairs.

Ruby loved the chance to walk around among people that didn't know she was a Wildmage and probably wouldn't have cared if they did, but she could tell the others were more appreciative of the cooked food and soft beds. Those were nice too – especially for Jaune's sisters, ill-used to roughing it for more than a day or two at a time. The Arc family always tipped well as they left, enriching the villages they left behind and even letting people know that there might soon be new opportunities at Menagerie for those who felt there weren't many in the village.

No one joined them on that, not yet anyway, but a few people did ask more and promised they would consider. It was often the younger ones, the teenagers who were apprenticed and learning crafts, but whose masters weren't old enough to keel over dead anytime soon. They'd have little choice but to move out and seek new homes if they wanted to do business, and they'd have work aplenty rebuilding the city.

And then it would be onto the trail once more, days and nights trundling along with nothing but conversation and silly games to amuse themselves. Yang taught Jaune poker, then Ruby re-taught him it when she caught Yang saying his flush was a weak hand and took more money from him. Adam and Blake taught them about Menagerie, the culture and the geography, and in between those lazy moments they pored over a map with Rodrick and Jaune's sisters, planning the most important jobs they'd have to do once they got there. Where to set up, which routes needed clearing first, which areas of the city they could afford to let go to waste and which they needed to prioritise clearing of rubble and wild animals.

The Collegium and the docks would be the first priority, then the roads between them. A source of shelter and food – and water too, given the Collegium had a deep well. If that was tainted, they could start cleaning it while boiling water from the ocean.

By the third week, Ruby and Yang had been taught to ride horses by the knights – if only to prevent them losing their minds to the boredom of the wagon interiors. The knights were surprisingly good sports about their clumsiness, as were the mounts thankfully. Ruby's stopped whenever she slipped off, and it would turn its head towards her as if to ask if she was really that poor a rider. It also gave the knights a chance to rest their own legs in the wagon, the boundaries between noble and commoner slipping away as time progressed. They even taught Yang some swordplay, for all that she almost cut her own arm off.

Jaune took over after that, drilling her for an hour each night when they came to rest. He was a good instructor, Ruby found. Patient enough to deal with Yang's whinging, firm enough to call her out on ignoring his advice on footwork, and not at all afraid to plant her on her ass when she talked back. Ruby saw the shock in Yang's eyes the first time he did that, then the gleam that came after. She whispered a prayer for Jaune's safety.

Two weeks away from Menagerie, they found their first remnant of the city – a village in which several people gasped when Blake announced their intention to rebuild the city. There was a quiet murmur as there always was in the others, but this time with another undercurrent. Several families discussed at distance, looking their way occasionally before slipping away into the dark.

As they always did, they availed themselves of the local tavern, the owner cheerily cooking a whole hog over a fire, his coffers bursting with Arc family silver. Fresh kegs had been brought up, flagons filled, and the knights alternated between drinking, eating, and entertaining curious children and teenagers with tales of the city of Vale. That left the rest of them to a single, large, wooden table to talk.

"Did you see those people outside?" Weiss asked the question on all their minds. "That's not the reaction we usually get. Most people are curious. They looked… bothered."

"They might be survivors like me," Blake said.

"It'd explain the reaction," Yang said. "So, what do we do? Shall we seek them out?"

"No. Let them come to us if they want. I won't force anyone back if they have bad memories of the place. Besides, they might have made their own lives out here already. We'll make the same offer we usually do. Anyone who wants to come can, and we'll provide food, water, shelter and work."

"Would it be a good or bad thing to have people come with us before we're set up?" Jaune asked. "I must admit I'm not familiar with this."

"Nor am I," Blake admitted. "But I'd say both ways are doable. Our stocks will last longer if we arrive there on our own whereas they'd dwindle faster with more people, but we'd be able to clear our way to the docks sooner, and more people fishing means more food."

"Ruby or I might be able to do something about the fish anyway." Adam interrupted. "If we make the water choppy enough, some will be washed up."

That wasn't a bad idea – she'd once caused the river Vale to split and flood the Upper District, and so causing a fresh funnel into a small pond in Menagerie shouldn't be impossible. Then they could collect the fish from it. The reminder made her think of Vale, a place she'd called home for so long. A large part of her was desperate to know what was happening back there.

Had the Collegium given up? Were the White being punished? How were Ren, Nora, Sun and Pyrrha doing? Had Pyrrha learned the truth, and did she hate them? Had the Collegium's power and authority been curtailed? Even if they sent a messenger back, it'd take as many weeks and that again to hear back from them, and they'd be one set of hands poorer for the restoration of Menagerie. It just wasn't worth it.

I should forget about Vale. It isn't my home anymore. I'm done there. Whatever happens, however the Collegium handles things, it's none of my business. They were Arcanists of Menagerie now, simply lacking a Collegium to call home.

"E-Excuse us…" A broad-shouldered man approached with his wife. They wore clothes lightly sprinkles with dust, his own smeared darker around his legs where he'd been working in the fields. "Noble Lords and Ladies, may we have a moment of your time?"

"Of course." Yang grinned, absolutely loving being called a lady. "What's up?"

"Ah. Well…" The man looked to his wife and then back to them. Funnily enough, he focused his attention on Blake, blanking Yang entirely. "We heard you mention your plans to rebuild Menagerie."

"Are you refugees?" Blake cut to the chase.

"We are – or were. We have a life here now…"

"We won't force you to leave that if you do not wish to."

"My gratitude, lady, but it's… well…"

"Our daughter," the woman said. "She's only six years of age but… last harvest, she got herself lost in the forest just as the wind turned. We found her that night, safe and sound but… the cold and the wind, it should have killed her. When we asked, she… she said…"

"She said that she had created fire from her hands to keep her warm," the man finished.

Magic. By the sounds of it, instinctual magic too. A Wildmage? Ruby and Adam exchanged quick glances. He spoke up. "Has she used any since then? Has there been any repeat occurrences?"

"None that we've seen, sir, and none that she has told us."

Not a Wildmage then if she'd managed to go that long without a surge. This might just be a case of an Arcanist unlocking their power in a moment of desperation.

"Your daughter may have talent in the magical arts," Blake said diplomatically. "We wouldn't know without testing her, but I assume that's not what you're asking."

"We're not… rich…" the man said.

"The new Collegium of Menagerie will accept all applicants, no matter their background. It is not only for the rich and the nobles. Anyone and everyone is welcome."

Their eyes widened. The woman asked, "I heard they keep children away. Don't let their parents see them."

Suddenly, it made a lot more sense as to why they had come without said child. They were afraid they'd steal the girl. It was the rules that the other Collegium worked on, albeit they wouldn't have cared for a commoner child at all. The reasoning had always been that it was to keep people safe from young Initiates who might accidentally use their magic for harm, but looking back, that would never have been a problem. Magic took such concentration that you wouldn't be accidentally using it at all.

They just wanted them stuck in the Collegium so they could be indoctrinated to have more loyalty to the Collegium than their own families. It was never about protecting people.

"We plan for no such rule," Blake said. "In the first few years, everyone is going to be living out of the Collegium while we rebuild the city. It's fine, even preferable, for Arcanist children to live with their parents if they wish. Though," she added, "We wouldn't be prepared to let them live outside of Menagerie. Not until they have graduated as Arcanists."

"No. No, that's… that's perfectly understandable, my lady." The woman looked relieved, even excited. "So, we could – if we wished – come with her to the Collegium?"

"You could. Do you wish to?"

"I… what do you think, dear?"

"I think we would like to see Menagerie sustained before we do," the man said. He kept his voice deferential, but he was firm on the point. "No offence to you all, but we have had to uproot our family and flee once. I do not want to do that again without some assurances."

"What kind of assurances would you need?"

"Well… if you can make a home there for a few months, I'd say that was enough." He looked to his wife, who nodded back. "If you still stand after the winter, we'll consider it a serious endeavour. I'm a farmer by trade. There's not much I could offer now anyway but come the spring I could plant seeds for you and grow food."

"We do need farmers." Jaune said out loud.

"You don't have to convince me." Blake said. "I already told them we're happy to have them. We will last the winter," she told the couple. "You're more than welcome to visit in the spring and confirm that with your own eyes, and if your daughter wishes to learn from us, we'd be happy to have her. Yourselves as well."

"Thank you, my lady. My lords. Thank you ever so. We'll leave you to your dinner – and I'll certainly come after the winter. If all is well, we'll be honoured to serve you."

The couple left much lighter and happier than they had approached, chattering excitedly between themselves. Ruby hoped to see them again, and she was fairly sure they would. They had more than enough food to survive the winter. With any luck, those two would also go and share the news with any other refugees.

"He raises a good point about crops," Weiss said. "It's much too late in the year to be planting any. We'll need to rely on fishing, hunting and what food we've brought to survive."

"And trade." Jaune said. "It's too late for us but every village nearby will be collecting their harvests soon. They'll be happy to let us buy if it means saving them the time of carting it all to larger towns to sell."

Ruby hadn't even considered that, but then she was new to being worth much of anything at all. Come to think of it, they actually had a lot of services they could offer now. "Why don't we offer people healing with Maria in exchange for food as well? Can you heal, Weiss?"

"I'm learning," she said, "And it's not a bad idea but I'm not sure Maria would want to travel much at her age."

"Then we set up shop in Menagerie and invite the sick there." Yang said.

"That might actually work." Blake rubbed her chin, smiling faintly. "If people brought their sick and injured to us, not only could we heal them in exchange for supplies, but it'd give more people chances to see how Menagerie is being rebuilt. Some might decide to stay. Those that choose not to would still take word back to their villages and they could draw others."

"I'll talk to Maria." Weiss promised. "It might take some convincing though…"

"Tell her I'll make an exception so she can study more than two Arcana." Blake said with a shrug. "The entrance to the Azure Archives is still there, so she can study whatever she wants in freedom as long as it doesn't harm anyone."

Weiss laughed. "I think that would win her over for sure. Are you really okay with that though?"

"I don't see why not." Blake shrugged. "Maria is old and isn't likely to learn that much that can be a problem, and I think her curiosity isn't that dangerous. Unless you disagree?"

"No. Maria craves knowledge but doesn't really have any designs on using it. She was only driven out because she wanted to learn more. I don't think she actually did anything despicable."

"There you have it. We can discuss Arcana rules at another time."

"Deviate too much and the other Collegiums might intervene." Adam warned. "It's one thing to welcome Wildmages – they can say we deserve whatever fate happens to us. But if we start letting people break the two Arcana rule, I fear we'll have Arcanists from every Collegium wanting to migrate to us. That's bound to have the other Collegiums upset, and they might move to shut us down before we can drain them of all talent."

He raised a fair point. The Collegium may have given up on them – by now, Ruby was sure of it – but that could change. Right now, she had the feeling they were hoping they would all die in the wilderness. When they didn't, the Collegium might do something, but if they were all the way in Menagerie then they might let it go. Pretend nothing had ever happened. What took place on the other side of the continent was no business of theirs after all.

But if they started to affect Vale, that would change. Atlas was still allied to them, and it could cause serious issues if those two banded together against Menagerie, especially in the early years of their foundation.

"It'll just be an exception for Maria for now – and for you, Weiss, if you want it. We'll keep it quiet. An unwritten exception. If we don't advertise it, no one needs to know."

"I don't need-" Weiss began.

Blake cut her off. "It's there anyway. I don't want Menagerie to be the kind of place that drives any of its people away, for whatever reason. Maybe you don't care now, but what about in ten or fifteen years once you've mastered the Emerald Arcana? I'd rather you know and feel comfortable enough to study more in front of me than believe you have to sneak around behind my back."

"I… Yes, you make a good point. Who can say what will happen in ten years? I shall graciously accept your offer, Grand Arcanist."

The rest of their conversation ended as huge plates of cooked pork were brought forward, piled high with meat and vegetables and a thick, rich gravy. The knights cheered loudly, then louder still when the stout innkeeper brought up a fresh barrel, beamed brightly, and hammered a tap into it. The rest of the night was spent eating, drinking and carousing.

/-/

Menagerie stood before them.

The great walls had tumbled in places, and vines had grown over the rubble, crossing the boundary between man-made and nature. The houses lay in disrepair, some having fallen, others still surprisingly intact. The morning sun washed over empty windows and quiet streets, with gentle lapping waves rising up the beach on the far side. The wooden docks, stained and coated with barnacles, stood all the same.

It was easy to see how civilisation had once flourished here. The signs were all still there – the stores, the streets, the dried-out fountains and parks and gardens. Flowers and vines had crept up many of the buildings, and birds nested among the rafters of half-burned down buildings, but it was still a city just as grand as Vale, even if it had been reduced to a city for the dead. In many ways, it was more beautiful than Vale. There were no separated tiers, no slums, no signs of poverty. Even the poorest could have fed themselves handily on the ocean's bounty.

"Home…" Blake whispered. "I'm home, mom. Dad…"

Yang slung an arm around Blake's shoulder and hugged her close, and then the wagons were trundling forward. The knights held themselves ready, but of the Grimm there was no sign, and there wouldn't be. Their invasion complete, Menagerie destroyed, they had been summoned away to Vale by the sceptre. None could have stayed, and none had been drawn since. Foxes, rabbits and birds now lived chiefly within the city, scurrying out of sight or watching them curiously from cracked doors and shattered windows. A deer grazing on a garden brought its head up upon smelling them, twitched and bolted down a gap between two buildings, joining three others that frolicked out the far end and away down a cobbled street.

Somehow, that seemed to please Blake. "There's still life here," she said. "I was afraid… part of me thought it would all be skeletons, silence and monsters. Nature has taken over, though. That's… kinder. At least our homes didn't go to waste."

"That same nature will sustain us." One of the twin sisters said. "Plenty to hunt around here if people haven't touched it. If the deer are this confident, it won't even be a challenge."

"Don't over-hunt them." Jaune said.

"We're not amateurs, brother. Jade and I will take what we need, then go to the forest if we want more. We know better than to scare off all the animals."

As Blake led them deeper into the city she'd once called home, the signs of battle became more and more apparent. This was where the defenders had made their last stands, and the discarded spear hafts and the increase in damaged buildings made that clear. Iron and steel lay buried under grass, swords stuck into the dirt and empty breastplates strewn about, the bodies and skeletons of those that once inhabited them lost to wild animals and carrion birds. Ruby was grateful for not having to see them, and she imagined Blake and Adam felt much the same way.

Blake regaled them with stories as they made their way through. "That was the main market square. Every Wednesday and every Saturday, it would be filled with stalls selling all kinds of things. That was one of the best taverns in the city. They used to have music every Friday and Saturday night, and people would crowd around outside to drink in the warmer months."

The stories continued, as much for her own benefit as theirs, the happier memories giving her strength and them direction. No one had the heart to interrupt her. Perhaps, in a few years, they could drink there, or maybe the city would bustle back sooner. It wouldn't be hard to attract people if they offered up free land and housing. Villagers would come from far and wide to take advantage of that.

Ahead, a new set of walls rose up. Sturdy and still whole, if covered with plants. They were smaller than the perimeter ones around the city, but still a good fifteen metres. The brick was a faded and stained off-white, but Ruby imagined they would shine bright white when washed. Above them, three spires rose, tall and cracked, but still mostly whole. "Is that the Collegium?"

"Yes." Blake smiled. "That's it. Home."

"The walls look to be in good condition." Jaune said happily. "If they're like that all the way around, we won't have any trouble holding them against animals and the odd Grimm. How much land is there inside?"

"Not as much as in Vale's Collegium, but enough to have some small gardens. If the buildings are whole, they could easily fit a few hundred people within. More could live in tents on the grounds before we would need to extend outward."

"So, aside from hunting and fishing we could live inside here all winter." Weiss said. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"We'll need to gather firewood as well," Jaune said, "But I'm sure the knights would be happy to handle that. We could send a few hunting and fishing as well. They'd see it as a holiday."

"Clear rubble first." Blake said. The large gates to the Collegium lay open – it seemed they had never closed, even under attack. Perhaps they'd been caught trying to evacuate the last of the people, or maybe looters had come later on and forced them open. They rode inside, into a wide open space of a wet grass overgrown, empty barrels and crates, and the three main buildings – the Initiate's school, Menagerie's own Sanctum, and a much larger building with a towering spire. All were in disrepair.

"It looks doable." Jaune said as he took it all in. Behind them, several knights were pushing the gates shut. "Honestly, it looks much more doable than I imagined."

"I refuse to sleep in the Sanctum." Adam said.

"We'll take the main building." Blake offered. "Unlike Vale, all the Arcana here lived in the same building, each with their own wing. The spire was for the Grand Arcanist, my father. We'll take over a wing and work from there. With any luck, the dorms inside will still be in one piece, if a little dusty. We might want to clean those out first."

"Get ourselves somewhere to sleep safe first and focus on the rest tomorrow." Yang said. "Sounds good to me. Yo, Jauney. You gonna order your people to handle the supplies?"

"Not a bad idea," he said. "I'll deal with Rodrick and make sure our goods are stored somewhere they won't rot easily, then find somewhere for the horses to stable. Rodrick! A word." He jumped off the wagon and walked over to the captain.

Ruby dismounted with the others, looking up at the giant building that would be their home not just for now, but quite possibly for the rest of their lives. As Jaune had said, it didn't look all that bad.

Maybe this could work after all…

And so begins the restoration of Menagerie, free from the Collegium of Vale and their influence.

Next Chapter: 30th January

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