Yay! Another chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY

Chapter 3: The Houses of Vale

Weeks had passed, leaving nothing but uncertainty and confusion. Jaune stared at his feet and for the first time since awaking in the past, he was at a loss. Eyes trailed about, landing upon the calendar slowly getting marked off, revealed this was the day he forged his transcripts and headed off to Beacon with Crocea Mors and a head full of dreams. His memories ruefully replayed in his mind. If you come back, don't worry, it just wasn't meant to be.

Hands wrapped around his kneecaps, strength barely able to register against his steel bones. The boy could remember filling out the transcripts he'd managed to pry from his father's office in the past. Form after form, names, numbers and classifications for weapons and armor. A small smile grew on his face, chuckling at his naivety. The information he put down was shoddy at best, easily determinable as fake and fraudulent. Somehow, Ozpin knew from the start about Jaune and believed in him so much, the old headmaster tossed him into a school for killing monsters with absolutely no training whatsoever.

Almost as if fate had intervened and kept him going strong after all this time. The Arc could feel the sorrow growing in his chest. If he wanted to keep to the timeline he remembered – he would have to declare his intention to become a Huntsman. Become a warrior and hero like Joan and Jon; like Doré and Clair. But there was this talk of becoming king – starting as a councilman in the Council of Vale. The idea of learning politics from shadowing his father was exciting and spoke volumes of what was possible to learn in the quest to become King to stand against Salem and her ilk.

But Beacon; RWBY, JNPR, CFVY. The eleven huntsmen-in-training meant the world to him in the past – forging friendships that lasted until the very end. Each person had a name, a face, a personality that was completely unique and every member molded him into being the very person he could look into the mirror and be proud of. He sighed to himself – it was a difficult decision after all. But before he could continue his mental musings, a knock on his door was heard.

"C'mon in, Doré…I'm just thinking." Jaune bellowed.

Quickly, the door swung open to reveal the short cropped blonde hair of his beloved older sister. She walked along the clean wooden flooring, feet dragging through the fibrous and soft rugs. Collapsing beside her brother, she leaned back, spreading her arms upon his bed.

"I was told to let you know that dad decided to invite one of his buddies on the Valean Council." She sighed. "A Tanager Winchester, I believe his name was."

Cardin's dad? Jaune's face expressed no emotion. But if Cardin was a no-good racist, I can only imagine what his father must be like…but Marie!

"Who else would be coming?" He turned his head to the calendar.

"Well I heard he was bringing his son – Cardin I think his name was? And the sons of his retainers." Doré shrugged in his mattress. "I assume, Cardin is there to give you an idea of how a Huntsman should be and Tanager himself is going to talk to you about being a Councilman. Jaune…"

"Doré?" The boy turned to face his sister with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"

"May I give you my honest opinion?"

With a shrug, the blond boy nodded.

"I don't want you to be a Huntsman nor a Valean Councilman…" Doré turned in the bed, back facing her brother. "I mean…we won't be able to see each other for a long time and afterwards, it'll be nothing but missions…I'm already in my second year at Shade Academy and I know…Clair and I are just lucky that we're able to take a simple bullhead back home…"

"What makes you think I won't go to Shade either?" Jaune gave her a cheeky smile.

Doré glared with a knowing smirk. "You trying to tell me that the Beacon Academy magazine and date marking on your calendar are just for show? I mean, Beacon's a great school and all I suppose. If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed that you would've ran away to go to Beacon. After all – your training never stuck until recently."

Ironic. Jaune mused. "Well…"

"You've got some serious gut, Jaune." Doré smiled brightly. "C'mon, let's go downstairs and greet the Winchesters."

With a shuddering sigh, the Arc rose from his seat on his bed and was subsequently tossed pieces of armor, bracers, greaves and even a breastplate. Sliding through each piece of protective metal, he looked presentable and intimidating. Save for the scraggly head of hair he had. Sighing to himself, the Arc walked along, boots echoing against the wooden flooring as he waltzed through the halls of his massive home.

While he always chalked his family's riches to being Councilmen, learning he was descended from the King – even being the righthand of the great monarch and descendants – everything made sense. Four of his seven sisters came before him, his father's attempt at a son was quite apparent. Even with how open the world of Remnant was, to be a king, to reclaim a seat of power – a son was required to continue the family line without muddling the family line.

Just like how Jacque Schnee ruined the Schnee family name. Jaune fell silent once again. Weiss…I wonder how you're doing…

His easy expression dropped at the thought of his first genuine crush. Weiss had given everything she had to give when they reunited in Haven Academy. She had changed so much when he saw her again after the Fall. The once dubbed Ice Queen even jumped to embrace him. They cried tears of happiness and frustration as every member shared their adventures and misadventures. For the first time, he felt a real friendship budding with Weiss. Sadly, the last time he ever saw her was the battle for Atlas – Cardin did his best but lost his leg along with his entire team and Weiss and Yang lost their lives.

The boy's sapphire blues drifted to the floor, following after Doré. When Yang died, Ruby lost her mind – the silver eyed power returning tenfold, but after Weiss' death, Ruby and Blake changed completely. Cardin was fitted with a new leg but his team was dead. Nora had lost her voice and appetite after the loss of the Ice Queen. Neptune wept and had half a mind to blame Cardin if it weren't for Sun and the rest of his team stepping in to knock some sense into the blue haired Huntsman. What followed after was nothing short of a grand scale execution – the entire Schnee family and staff, even the employees of the Schnee dust factories and mines were exterminated by their Faunus employees and White Fang – live on the hacked television networks. Thus, marked the fall of Atlas and Solitas.

His fists clenched tightly and if it were not for his gloves, he would have drawn blood. All because of Salem and that woman Cinder. I swear…I will find a way to stop them, even if no one believes me.

"Ah, Doré, Jaune!" Their father cried with happiness. "It's good that you two have decided to come down."

Their boots clapped against the wooden stairs that swerved about before coming to an end in the grand foyer of their massive home. Jaune stood between Doré and Clair with their step-mother, Marie, holding the two youngest at Clair's left. On Doré's right, Violette and Rosé stood, wearing frilly dresses denoting their color scheme. Rosemary stood at Violette's right, hands behind her back and long dark hair falling to her mid back. Her dark green dress with white accents fit her well. Looking to his sisters; Doré, Clair and himself were the only ones dressed in armor.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal blinding white light from the outside world. Servants welcomed the visitors, revealing a small entourage of men dressed in plate armor – clearly prepared for anything. At the head of the troupe, a man with short cropped orange-red hair swayed to the right stood at an impressive six feet and seven inches. His armor was a near replica of Cardin's but displayed a more regal and magnificent eagle. At his side, a broadsword rested with a kite shield on his back. A stark contrast to his son's choice of weaponry.

But what he did next, surprised Jaune. "Claude! Marie! Where are my best friends at?!"

His eyes nearly popped from his skull, as did most of CRDL. Marie's tail wagged as she laughed and Claude walked forward, embracing the Winchester patriarch with a tight hug. Marie, despite being a Faunus did the same and even received a kiss on each cheek from Tanager. Jaune's jaw visibly dropped in disbelief.

"Incredible!" He cried. "Two more?! Claude, don't you think you've had enough children?"

"Why, I need more than one son after all!" The Arc laughed heartily.

Marie though gave Tanager a raised brow. "Think I can't handle it, Tan?"

"I said no such thing, my fair lady!" The Winchester bellowed with laughter. "Claude, you must introduce me to your children! I have heard so much about them but never once had the honor."

"Of course, Tan!" Claude led the man to the front of the line. "This is my eldest, Rosemary – graduated from Shade academy four years ago and is currently working as a defense contractor for the SDC branch in Sanus."

"Damn that Jacque though." Tanager snickered. "The pay makes it worth dealing with his incessant babbling, eh?"

Rosemary actually laughed. "Indeed. Four thousand Lien per successful delivery is well worth the training meetings."

"I like her." Tanager shook her hand with a fierce grip that the woman had no trouble matching.

"These two are my next; Violette and Rosé." Claude smiled. "Rosé is a student at a business school and Violette will start working in a bookshop in Vale soon."

"A civilian life is a better one than constantly on the move as a huntress after all." Tanager nodded his head; smile never once leaving his face. "Say, how old are you two?"

"Twenty years old, sir." Violette answered with a timid expression.

"My, you may call me Uncle Tan if you wish! No need for unnecessary formalities." The Winchester shook their hands before moving on.

"And these three – my triplets." He smiled wistfully. "The last of Adrienne's children."

"The eldest, Doré is currently in her second year at Shade along with her younger sister Clair." Claude boasted proudly. "They were given acceptance early after unlocking their semblance at a young age at Shadow Beginners Combat in Vacuo, and currently are the youngest second year team at Shade Academy. And between them is their brother – my only son – Jaune."

But instead of the usual laughter and beaming smiles that Tanager had, his blue eyes locked with Jaune's almost like a deer in headlights. But before the confrontation could get awkward, a smile spread across his face, nearly splitting his appearance in two. Reaching forward, the Winchester shook Jaune's extended hand with vigor, surprised at how strong the boy's grip was.

"Jaune…" Tan smiled. "I can see greatness in your future…no matter the path you take – Huntsman or Councilman. If you accept it – Remnant will shake to its very core if you release your potential."

Doré and Clair looked at Jaune with wide eyes – hell his entire family did. Claude actually shut his mouth and stared at his friend, bashful and almost surprised by what the Winchester said. Looking to his wife, Marie felt the same, eyes wide like plates. The son of the Arc House though, simply smiled and bowed his head lightly.

"Thank you, Lord Winchester." The Arc responded. "It means a lot coming from you."

"See, Cardin!" Tanager turned his head to face his embarrassed and slightly angry son. "This is how you treat superiors with respect!"

"And for the last two – Margaux and Aurore." The little toddler twins giggled when Marie happily handed the pair to the Winchester.

"Oh? What's this?" Tanager gleefully smiled. "Wolf ears for Margaux and tail for Aurore? Their eyes, Claude! Pearl for Margaux and a mix of greens and blues for Aurore? They will be absolutely beautiful when they grow!"

Okay… Jaune thought to himself, leaning forward along with the rest of his sisters. This is nowhere close to what I expected from the Winchester family. The little half-Faunus toddlers giggled and laughed when Tanager spun them around. Not even close. But if Tanager likes Faunus, why the hell does Cardin hate them?

His blue eyes trailed over to spy the hateful expressions on CRDL's faces. Dove, despite his closed eyes, his deepening glare was enough to tell the Arc how he felt. Russel and Sky were more reserved on their anger, especially in the presence of so many people. Cardin though; wasn't holding his punches, gritting his teeth, seething to a boiling point. The Winchester was obviously hurt and enraged by Faunus – Jaune never got to explore that dialogue in the past – the war never gave them a chance to talk personally in great length.

"Well, now that you've introduced your family, it's about time I did the same." Tanager turned to his entourage. "I apologize that Dahlia wasn't able to come – she's taking care of my youngest daughter, Blair. She did however want me to extend her greeting and customary introduction of family."

Cardin visibly tensed at the mention of his mother and younger sister. Jaune tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing at the Winchester heir.

"This is my son, Cardin." Claude reached forward, shaking the boy's hand, surprised and quite impressed with his massive strength. "He was accepted into Beacon along with the children of my retainers."

"Beacon?" The Arc patriarch nodded his head in thought. "My son is thinking of going to Beacon as well. Maybe you two might end up being brother teams."

Cardin nodded his head, clearly trying to force his smile. "I'll be looking forward to seeing him there."

Just then, the Winchester forced his hand forward, still grinding his teeth. A part of Jaune almost shot forward to attack the man but stopped when Doré placed a hand on his shoulder. Cardin shook hands with Marie, obviously holding his breath and fake smile. The Faunus matriarch of the family seemed to not notice and kept smiling away. As if the gods themselves were trying to avoid any unfavorable scenarios, Claude and Tanager were already on the move with introductions.

"And these are the sons of my retainers – Russel Thrush, son of Hamilton Thrush."

Claude examined the green haired boy and nodded his head. "While your muscles are lacking, I sense speed and skill within you. You'll be a good hunter."

The son of Arc winced. Russel was impaled by a White Fang spear in Atlas when Jaune and his forces tried to defend the SDC headquarters.

"Dove Bronzewing, son of Egret Bronzewing." Tanager spoke with pride, almost at the level of Cardin's introduction.

"Your blade is also a gun?" Claude asked with a raised brow. When Dove responded with a simple nod, a smile broke on the Arc's face. "That's good. Long range and medium range capabilities."

Dove was struck down in Atlas shortly before Cardin lost his leg. Jaune could remember seeing the Bronzewing scion take on a pack of Creeps and even a few Arma Gigas Grimm without even worrying for his health. He did everything he could, taking the Creeps down with relative ease and even one of the Arma Gigas Grimm, but in the end, he too fell, scarring Cardin till the end.

"Last is Sky Lark, son of Stratus Lark."

"Aye, a sense of belonging resides within you." Claude tilted his head. "You are important to this team, as well as everyone else on it. Sky, don't abandon your friends regardless of the situation."

Sky. Jaune could remember vividly what happened to him. His halberd broke in the middle of battle, shattering on an Arma Gigas. He was nearly down for the count until he saw Cardin lying in the snow, legless and bleeding out. In his rage, he teamed up with Weiss, grabbed Cardin's mace and took on the army of giant Grimm, doing everything they can but in the end, he jumped into one of the massive swords to protect Weiss.

If only I were faster… Jaune's head lowered. He died for nothing…

CRDL forced their smiles, each one as Marie shook their hands and even went so far as to give them customary hugs. She was loving and kind but for some reason, the boys were incredibly uncomfortable in her presence. It irked Jaune that he didn't spend time to talk to them about it beforehand. But soon enough, the introductions ended and the heads of both families, moved on to speak in more private reception.

"Hey." Jaune spoke over the commotion. "Cardin, right?"

"Yeah." The orange haired teen looked down at him. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you forced your smiles when my step-mom walked up to you."

CRDL's eyes widened together, gathering the attention of a few of the Winchester men-at-arms following behind and his sisters. Cardin was caught aghast, actually taking a step back from the blond boy of the Arc family.

"I did no such thing." Cardin laughed nervously.

Jaune didn't move, face remaining neutral. "I know you dislike Faunus, Cardin. I can practically smell it off of you and your team. If you have a problem with them, you can leave it at the door. This is my home, I will not tolerate discrimination on my property."

Suddenly, a little hand wrapped around his leg, pulling at his shirt peering beneath his cuirass. Looking down, Margaux's pearl eyes glimmered slightly as she tried to get his attention. Her blonde hair mixed with brown locks waved in the winds rushing in from the outside world. With a sigh, Jaune bent down and picked the toddler up, hoisting her against his chest. Her pearl eyes stared at Cardin, wolf ears twitching slightly.

"Hug." She said with a stern tone.

A laugh echoed from Jaune's lungs as he wrapped his arms around the little girl. As if she had awoken a strength of ten men, she pushed herself from his arms and turned to Cardin, pearl eyes staring into his soul. Throwing her arms up she spoke the same word, this time looking at the Winchester heir. Both men felt their jaws drop and an awkward air fell upon them.

"Margaux, you can't just ask random–"

"Hug." She said once more, this time with more heat.

"Look, Cardin, I'm sorry!" Jaune laughed nervously as he tried to turn away.

"Hug…" Her neutral expression slowly dropped as the blond man tried to leave. "Hug…"

A loud, powerful exasperated sigh echoed from behind. "Jaune! Just give her to me. She wants a hug, she can get one."

The rest of CRDL stared at Cardin with wide, plate-like eyes. Jaune himself felt the same. Turning on his heels, Margaux's expression did a complete one-eighty and now, she had a great beaming smile on her face. Sharing a look, Jaune and Cardin nodded before the exchange of toddlers began.

As soon as Cardin's arms clasped onto the little half-Faunus toddler, she shot her little arms around his broad neck. He jumped at how quickly she did it too. But after a while, she nuzzled deeper into him, already asleep. Her wolf ears twitched, rubbing against the back of his own ears, tickling him slightly. If anything, Blair would do the same when he'd hold her, no matter how much he tried to ignore her.

"That's the quickest I've ever seen her knock out." Doré spoke as she walked up to the group. "Good job, Cardin. Never thought someone as brawny as you could be a decent babysitter. I'm actually impressed."

Dove and Russel shared a snicker while Sky actually broke into full laughter. But were immediately silenced when Cardin turned to face them, red faced and furrowed brows.

"You wanna wake the toddler?!" He hissed under his breath. "Having a little sister…"

Cardin froze before the two Arcs. His eyes darkened and trailed to the floor, all the while holding Margaux almost protectively. "I'm sorry…take her."

"Actually…" Jaune smirked. "I think she looks comfortable."

Sky once again burst into laughter, holding his sides. Much to Cardin's chagrin, even Doré began to giggle at his misfortune. But his eyes landed on the sleeping form of the young half-human, half-Faunus child. She looked nothing like the White Fang that killed his real mother; she looked nothing like the White Fang that killed his elder brother. His heart raced within his chest, meeting her own little heartbeat resonating in his breastplate.

For the first time since arriving in their little plot of land, Cardin actually cracked a smile. He held Margaux with less protection and more care, letting her rest calm and easy against his shoulder. Catching the eyes of Jaune's sisters, the rest of the Arc children waltzed along, conversing with the men of the Winchester House.

But as the conversation and blossoming friendships continued, Jaune fell back, watching from afar. Cardin was hiding something – something he never cared to speak of. Even in the future – past – Cardin was never one to really indulge others of how he was feeling, always leaving such frivolous things to Huntresses and pansy Huntsmen.

He could see his thoughts rushing and billowing in his eyes, almost like windows directly to his soul. The man was damaged far beyond what he liked to let people see. Even now, he was hiding it beneath his strong, sturdy and confident demeanor. While his smile may be real now, his care for Margaux may be genuine, he still hid something within his heart; something that was only going to eat away at the Winchester if he didn't do something about it.

That's for another day… Jaune sighed to himself. Now…I need to get to know CRDL and tell my father what I've decided.

I'm going to be a Huntsman.

Well this chapter was a doozie to write.

So yeah; Team CRDL is one of the more underestimated teams
given no character development aside from not being douche nozzles anymore
and the countless fanfiction that give the CRDL turning decent fix

Either way; yeah. DAMN FAUNUS HALF BREEDS

ja ne

gottahavekyuubi