Huge Note Incoming:
So, last chapter got about the black moment distress expected, but there was also some additional drama which I'll address now.
When I first started this story over two years ago, I had plans for what it would be. Loose plans but plans nonetheless. Those were always subject to change, of course. As a writer grows things naturally change, either because they thought up something new, don't like how a planned aspect came out, or otherwise became a better writer after two years more experience and had better ideas that replaced the old.
One of those ideas for me was the pairing.
The story was initially planned as a Lancaster, but that was back before any of the "how" was planned. I basically just said to College Fool, "Yeah, I think this would be good as a Lancaster."
Later on, however, and not too far into the story, perhaps between chapters 4-8, we decided that a Blake x Jaune pairing worked better. At least for the early game. CF wanted me to try for a Ménage a Trois, but I've always been a little iffy on those (and not convinced I could create a realistic one, having no experience in it myself), so I wasn't convinced. I basically said, "I'll think about it" and kind of had been ever since, even up to chapter 80. My thought process was "I'll decide when I get to it. Burn the bridge, etc".
So, recently I kind of decided that I probably wouldn't be able to do it, and so would go pure Knightshade. In a tense moment on my forums where I was not in the best state and in a temper, I came out and admitted that.
To some… anger here, in the reviews section.
I'm going to address this in two ways. Firstly, to those who feel upset about this, or feel that I've misled you, I apologise. That was not my intention. When I first wrote this and first wrote that initial author's note saying it was a Lancaster, it WAS. I did not lie. I did not deceive you. At least not intentionally. I was speaking in full honesty at the time.
Later, when I wasn't sure what it would be, I could have gone back and changed it, but I didn't. Partly because I didn't want to go back and make changes, but also because it was around the time where I decided I'd no longer reveal pairings because it led to drama and rage-PMs (Shipping being pretty serious business to some people). As such, I didn't change it because to do so would kind of make no difference.
After all, change or not, those who started this on the promise of Lancaster would still have felt that I lied, betrayed or misled them. It wouldn't matter if the truth was revealed now, at the end of the story or ten chapters in. By changing my mind (which I feel I have the right to do) I made an earlier statement (which was true at the time) invalid.
Sorry for that.
This is my fault. My bad, and I apologise.
I won't apologise for making the choice of pairing, because that's kind of my job as the author, and I'm to be expected to plan things out and take the story wherever I think it will be done best. But I will apologise for anyone who feels hurt about the decision I made.
But the second thing I wanted to mention was that some people really seem to take it a little too far. Yes, I changed something, but I did not "falsely advertise" this story, nor did I "betray your trust". If you feel I have then, well, I don't know. There's so much stuff going on in the world, a lot of it bad, and you feel betrayed by a pairing change in a fanfiction…?
Anyway, I added Blake to the genre tag pairings the moment I decided. I removed the square brackets that tag Ruby and Jaune as a romantic pairing, and basically left it open and with the pairing unspecified. The moment I decided, these things were done. I did not make an author's note telling everyone because by this time I'd already settled on my "Never reveal the pairing rule" and wanted to stick to it. I figured it would be better if people just discovered it naturally as the story progressed. No spoilers, etc.
Yes, I didn't go back and change an author's note from a while back, and maybe I should have, but I don't think doing so would make me have "misled" people any less. Those who had already started would already feel the betrayal, and me saying "Oh yeah, that changed – your loss for not thinking to constantly re-check previous author's notes" wouldn't make it hurt any less.
Ultimately, the lengths some people took the news was a little exhausting for me. I shouldn't have to put a disclaimer saying "The author reserves the right to change his mind" on every story. It should be implied.
But I'll still apologise for those who felt disappointed, because I can understand why. You really wanted something, and I offered it, only to change my mind later. That can upset and is a part of the reason why I no longer tell pairings on anything other than pure romance fics (where it becomes obvious in chapter one anyway). It's just not worth the effort of dealing with the drama.
As such, I've decided to open a poll on my author profile. It has options on it and I'll genuinely consider the results – even if I will not lock myself into following it. I've already said it before on other stories, but for the sake of my sanity my rule is that I will no longer EVER confirm a pairing or make a hint towards it in author's notes. It's sad that I need to do this, because frankly I shouldn't feel like I need to watch my every word lest it be used against me, but apparently, I do.
Long and boring author's note is long and boring, but probably necessary. Sorry about it.
/-/
On a more META level, those who felt betrayed by my failure to reveal the truth sooner should have a wonderful understanding of how upset the Guild is with Jaune in this story, so there should be no room for them to complain that Blake and Co are hypocrites. If you can consider your local fanfiction author as having "betrayed all trust", then consider how the Guild must feel when they've lived, fought and – in Blake's case, made love – to Jaune for two years.
At least we weren't banging. Or, you know, I don't think we were…
Were we...?
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Dishwasher1910
Book 6: Chapter 11
If there was one benefit of the Quest in Vacuo being over, it was that we no longer had an excuse to push the issues between us aside. Where before everyone had ignored the Ursa in the room, now they faced me, if not prepared then resigned to the fact that this was a conversation which had to happen.
The inevitable showdown took place where most of our meetings did, in the living room of our Guild Hall, with the others assembled across a table from me on various couches and cushions, Velvet included. The me versus them line-up was obvious, though I tried not to focus on it. Instead, when asked what Ozpin said, I spoke calmly and clearly.
The Guild was silent as I delivered the news, but even though they did not speak, their reactions were varied. Some looked away, others cursed, but the way they all deflated surprised me a little. I'd expected more along the lines of rejection and demands I leave now.
Instead, Ozpin's decision brought silence.
"Will you come back?" Ruby asked eventually, voice a whisper. "Ozpin said you could…"
"I don't know. I'm not sure if I should."
Weiss snorted. "Tch. So, you lie to us and now you intend to run away. Is that it?"
My temper, already frayed, flared to life. "Isn't that what you want me to do, leave and never come back? I'd have thought you'd be happy if the useless Blacksmith was out of your life for good."
A chair scraped angrily across wood. Blake stood, turned and stalked through the kitchen and away, leaving me and the others behind. My eyes tracked her, though she wouldn't grace me with her attention.
Yang shook her head. She wore an angry scowl. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
"I know." I took a deep breath, head falling into my hands. Anger from Blake I could have dealt with, relished, but her walking away hurt. It also pissed me off. "I know. I'm a liar and a cheat. I'm a Blacksmith, a mere NPC. I'm an idiot who dared to think he could be better than what he was." I stood, holding my hands before me as if I were praying. "I'm sorry, Yang. Please forgive my terrible trespass."
I wasn't sure if it was the tension mounting, the time, or just being back in Beacon. Maybe it was the expulsion, too. But either way, something burned hot and angry inside of me. Wasn't this enough? I'd already lost everything. Did they have to rub it in?
"Forgive me for thinking I'd proven myself. Forgive me for not having the foresight to be born lucky like you." I bowed theatrically. "Forgive me for not having the good graces to pick the right Class before I was born. Maybe I should have killed myself and rerolled a Paladin or somethi-"
Heat burned across my cheek. My ears rang.
For a second, I thought Weiss had cast a spell on me. But I realised Pyrrha was on her feet a second later, eyes burning with unshed tears. Her entire body was shaking, but no less than the hand which had connected with my face. Pyrrha's palm carried the same strength and skill as her blade. My entire brain felt rattled.
"How could you say that?" she gasped, on the verge of tears. "How could you even think that we'd want you gone!?"
How? I almost laughed.
"What do you expect? This is exactly why I didn't tell you all the truth – because I knew it would end up like this. I'd be kicked out of Beacon and you'd all hate me for what I am. So, tell me," I said, spreading my arms wide. "What am I supposed to think!?"
"Maybe that we're upset you lied to us," Nora said, with a forced calm that did little to conceal how upset she was. "Maybe that it's not what you lied about, but the fact you did at all. Maybe that we don't care about Jaune the Knight or Blacksmith, but just the Jauney we know and love. Or thought we knew."
What was she talking about?
"I had to. I'm not even a Hero Class. I'd have been thrown out of Beacon." Did they need this explaining to them? A Blacksmith could not attend Beacon. I had to lie to get in.
"No one said you had to tell Ozpin."
"So, what? I should have told you? People would have learned about it."
"You didn't trust us, then," Pyrrha said.
"No, that's not what I'm saying!"
"Sounds like it is," Yang said.
"It's not-"
"Then what was it? Why not tell us? If you weren't afraid we'd tell someone and you'd be thrown out, then what held you back?"
"I-" My head spun. I glared at Yang. "Does that even matter at this point?"
"You're damn right it matters!" Yang snapped. "My whole point is that I want to know why you lied to us. No, fuck it. I want to know why you lied to me. Everyone's got their own personal problem here. We each deserve a reason."
Looking over each of them, I saw the same look on their faces. They all wanted an explanation? I didn't have one for each of them. Hell, I had to be out of Beacon soon, preferably before everyone learned what was going on or the authorities found out.
"I'd get that you might be scared at first," Yang went on. "Hell, I'd be. You broke the law, didn't know anyone, and there was a chance we could rat you out if you told us. Makes sense. But what about after Atlas, or even Mistral? There's no way you thought we'd do that then." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Tell me you didn't think we'd do that."
"I didn't," I said, surprised to find I meant it. Or maybe not surprised. By that point, we'd been through too much and relief on one another for everything. Had they found out, I was sure there would have been shouting involved, but if the amulet still worked, they wouldn't have turned me in.
Blake already held two secrets that could have gotten me expelled, one that could have gotten me executed, and she'd kept them.
"Good. So, what held you back?"
I didn't- No. I did know. I just didn't want to admit it.
Their tempers had cooled down since the reveal in the sunken temple, but if I'd thought that would make this conversation easier, I was wrong. Yang's calm was icy, the Brawler showing the sharp intellect so few knew her for. I wished it wasn't to poke holes in all my arguments.
"I was afraid…"
"Of what?"
"This," I said, gesturing to them all. "Of things breaking apart. Of stuff going wrong." My honesty, weak as it was, was rewarded with Pyrrha sitting down again, though the Champion still looked furious beyond belief. Not at my being a Blacksmith, but at the words I'd spoken. "I didn't want everything we had to fall apart. I knew it was wrong to keep lying, but I thought that if I got strong enough that it didn't matter, then it wouldn't be a lie."
"It still would have been," Weiss said. "The nature would be different, the requirements of it, but it becomes no less a deceit. We trusted you. I trusted you. I was… I may have been wrong to suggest you responsible for Ruby's injury, or for my mother's death. Ruby cornered me earlier and put my head straight." Here, Weiss nodded to Ruby. "That was ill-spoken of me. I was… I was angry. Over everything. The news you'd been lying came as an unwelcome addition to everything else, and with Watts dead and gone, I lashed out at the only person I could. I was not in my right mind and for that I apologise."
"It's fine." I'd known her anger was more on that than me. If anything, Weiss' had been the easiest to stomach before because of that, but now with her calm and prepared to pull me apart without restraint, I found myself tense.
"But the point remains that you lied to us. I don't blame you for Ruby any more than I blame Blake for what happened to my mother. Blake didn't kill her; she freed her. But that doesn't change the fact that we – I – trusted you. I've been lied to before, as you well know."
My anger cracked. "I'm sorry, Weiss…"
"Hmph. About time..." she growled.
"What?"
"Your apology," she said. "Assuming you meant it, that is."
"No, no. I did. It's just… Is that it? I lied to you."
"And you have admitted you were wrong to do so, no?"
"Yes. Of course."
"I am… Ugh. Mad does not begin to describe what I feel right now," Weiss admitted. "Anger is not quite accurate, either. I feel hurt by the secrets, and by the insinuation that I could not be trusted enough, but it's hard to be angrier with you than I am with Watts. He is dead." Weiss offered a grim smile. "I won't demand the same of you."
That was kind of her, but… honestly, I wasn't sure what to say. An apology. Was that all she'd wanted? It seemed so little. Too little. The shock must have shown on my face because Yang cursed and stomped over, catching me by the collar before I could escape.
"You really are an idiot, aren't you? Ruby said it but come on." She shook me, though I wasn't sure if she meant it or was just lamenting my supposed idiocy. "You fucked up," she said, eyes fixed on mine. "I might not have some awful thing in my past to make that hurt, not like Weiss does. Not like Blake obviously does. But it still pisses me off that you'd lie for that long. The start I can understand. Don't like it, but I understand."
"I can let the first few months go as necessary," she continued, waving a hand. "At least until you knew you could trust us not to spill the beans. But that you kept it going when you had chance after chance to tell us the truth? That is what really rubs me the wrong way. Thing is," she said, poking my chest with her other hand. "You don't have a good reason for that. Other than being a little bitch, I guess."
I winced at the accurate description. Not quite how I'd put it, but not entirely wrong either. I'd kept it a secret not because I had to, but because it was easier. Because if it were out of sight, I wouldn't have to deal with it. Deal with this. For that, I was every bit the coward Weiss accused me of being.
"But I guess that's just you. You fucked up, made a mistake, and now you've got to deal with it. But you are going to deal with it! Apologisin' is a good step." She dragged me so close our eyes met. "Getting all offended because you think our problem is with your Class, or saying you want to run away and never come back, never sort this out and just step out of our lives forever?" She bared her teeth. "That's not a good step."
Yang tossed me back, and I staggered for a moment.
"I couldn't give a flying fuck if you're a Blacksmith, King of Vale or Remnant's best Prostitute. Do you think I'd have treated Ruby differently if she was born a Noble? We became friends. We became more than friends; we were a Guild." Yang sighed. "And the reason I'm so angry is because I thought we all trusted one another. Your Class-" She gestured to the words over my head, "-has nothing to do with anything. I'm pissed off at you!"
Ruby came up and dragged her sister back. "Yang…"
Exhaustion settled down on me, like a weight on my shoulders. The anger I'd felt slipped away and I slumped down into one of the couches. Was that really it? Had I gotten the wrong end of it so badly?
It would explain Velvet, who was just as much a part of the Labour Caste as I, and yet stood on the other side of the room with a steady frown. She shouldn't have any reason to be upset at the reveal of my Class, but she was. Not because of what I was, but because I'd kept it from her.
All those arguments I'd made up on the way here, the ones about how I'd proven myself, how I deserved to be treated by what I'd done, not what I was, fell to pieces. They were judging me by my actions. That was the problem.
"What do you want from me?" I asked.
"Ideally, a super good reason for why you kept the secret this long," Nora said.
"I don't have one. I made a mistake. I hid it because it was easier than confronting the truth head on, and for that I'm sorry. I lied to you all and I… I regret it. I should have told you all sooner."
"Yeah, I figured." The Barbarian managed a flimsy smile. "Having a good excuse would've been too easy."
Pyrrha managed to laugh. "Nothing is easy where we're concerned. I thought we'd all realised that by now. We're a bundle of problems and contradictions, and now our Knight is a Blacksmith. Honestly, it could be worse."
"Could be better, too," Yang snorted.
"Of course, but at least we're all alive to have this discussion. The Greycloaks have been stopped. The war will end, and life will go back to normal."
"For some of us anyway," Weiss said, looking to me. "Things are inevitably going to change."
She was right, of course. I wouldn't be able to go on Quests with them anymore or fight in any meaningful way. This wasn't something they could decide, and it wasn't them holding me back. It was Ozpin, though even then the laws of the land were holding him back.
"That's why I wanted to ask what you were going to do," Ruby said. "I wasn't sure if you were even going to come back. If you'd want to."
"I'm not sure I do," I answered honestly. When Ruby looked prepared to argue, I quickly added, "It's not about any of you. It's just that I did what I did, lied, to be a Hero. It wasn't just to attend Beacon, but because I wanted to be something more than I was. Ozpin's offer to let me come back and even to pay me to work here is kind, but it doesn't fix the problem. In fact, it might even be a reminder of everything I've lost. Which is why I'm not sure if I want to return."
"What about us?" Pyrrha asked. "Don't we factor into this?"
"Of course you do."
"It doesn't sound like we do," Nora muttered. "We're angry with you, Jauney, but that doesn't mean we want you gone forever. That's not fair."
"It's not fair for you to think that of us either," Ren said.
No, it wasn't. I bowed my head. "Sorry."
"As long as you realise that, it's fine. I'm sorry for hitting you," Pyrrha said.
"No. I… I think I deserved it. Or needed it." For suggesting that Pyrrha's sole reason for being angry was that I was a Blacksmith. I'd basically accused them of being prejudiced against me, or for having no good reason to be angry.
My Class was my issue. Not theirs. Hadn't they proven that already by accepting Velvet without so much as a hint of arrogance? They'd brought her in to the Guild, into the family. Why had I thought I'd be any different?
"I do have to leave, but I'll come back," I promised. "Even if it isn't to stay, I'll come back to give you my answer in person. You guys deserve that." I met Weiss' gaze and nodded. "I won't run away. I won't be a coward and hide from this because it's difficult."
With a little more respect in her eyes, Weiss returned my nod.
"When are you leaving?" Ruby asked.
And here came the hard part. "Now."
"What!?" It wasn't just Ruby who shot to her feet, but Pyrrha, Nora and Yang, too. "Now? Why? You can at least stay the night – get some rest…"
I silenced them with a hand. "I want to go now because if I wait any longer, I won't be able to go at all. I've already promised you all this won't be the last time we see one another. Two weeks. That's how long it'll be until the festival is done and over, and then I'll come back. But if I don't go now, it's only going to get harder."
"Understandable," Weiss said. "Not ideal, but understandable…"
"There are other reasons, of course. I don't want to push Ozpin's generosity any more than I need to, and the longer I stay, the more chance there is someone will see my Class and put two and two together. If the news of that reaches the Royal Palace, Ozpin might be summoned to explain, and distractions like that will take away from the peace process. If we want peace between Mistral and Vale, the best thing I can do to help is leave."
"So, you're to stay out of Vale until it's over?"
"That's the plan. Out of sight, out of mind."
But more than any of that, we all needed time to calm down. The pain was still raw, my secret torn away and leaving them tense and uncertain. Oh, they were doing their best to accommodate me – I could tell – but it didn't change the fact this felt forced. We were here addressing this because we had to, not because any of us wanted it.
Two weeks would give them time to settle down, and me time to consider my options, come to terms with the future and decide.
Whatever happened, I didn't want to lose them.
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I should have known it wouldn't be so easy. The others made it hard enough, pleading for me to stay a little longer and with Ruby even thinking she'd somehow done something wrong and apologising herself. I'd told her this wasn't anyone's fault, nor the Guild breaking apart. I was just… taking a break. We were all taking a break. It wasn't like they'd be sent out on any Quests this close to the festival, so it wouldn't matter if I was here or back in Ansel.
Just in case, I marked Ansel on a map for them all, saying that if they wanted to, they could come and hunt me down themselves. That, at least, calmed Ruby down.
The bigger problem was Blake, and sadly, it wasn't one I could fix.
She'd slipped away in her anger. Left the Guild.
Not permanently, I hoped, and Yang confirmed her belongings were still in her room, but still, she must have been angry – furious at my suggestion they wanted me gone.
I wanted to stay and wait for her, but I knew better. If Blake didn't want to talk to me, she wouldn't.
I cornered Ruby, instead.
"I want you to give this to her," I said, placing Blake's pendant in Ruby's hand. "Tell her I didn't leave a written letter, but only because I believe she and I should speak in person. Words on parchment aren't going to fix this. Make sure she knows why I had to go, too. I don't want her to think I'm running out without giving her the explanation she deserves."
"O-Okay. Anything else?"
"Tell her that whatever happened, no matter what was said and done, nothing ever changed from my point of view. Tell her I said `sorry`, and that I should have said it earlier, instead of trying to make excuses. Tell her…" I took a deep breath. "Tell her I'll be back in two weeks, and that if she wants to slap me as hard as she can, I'll accept it."
"You sure?" Ruby giggled. "Blake is strong."
"I'd deserve it."
"You probably would…" Ruby sighed and wrapped her arms around me. "I don't want you to go."
"I know. I don't want to either."
"Good. That means you'll be more likely to come back." She squeezed me again and let go. "Everyone wants you to come back, even Weiss. They're angry you lied to them, but they're only this angry because they care about you enough to be. We're still a Guild. Nothing changes that."
And so it was that in the middle of the night, while Beacon still slept, I mounted Faith and rode out. The lack of a proper goodbye hurt, but maybe that was for the best.
Because it would mean I'd have to return to make one.
/-/
I rode through the night and into the early hours of the morning. Faith was a strong mare and kept going, bar for a short one-hour stop for a drink and some rest. No Grimm threatened us on the path, which was lucky considering I only had a knife to work with. I wasn't too worried. Most of the Grimm in the area would be weak. The bigger problem was bandits and I kept my cloak wrapped around me, lamenting the breastplate I'd left behind. It didn't make much sense to take armour home with me.
No bandits challenged me. Either the war was keeping them hidden, or I hit a lucky break. By the time the sun had started to peek over the treetops in the distance, and after a good eight-hour ride, I finally spotted the wooden walls in the distance.
Ansel was still standing. Honestly, it looked like nothing had changed.
The gates were closed, but there was a small door at the side which could be opened from the outside as long as it wasn't locked. It only was when Grimm were seen. I tested it and found it open, pushing in and leading Faith in behind me.
Ansel was a relatively large village, though still tiny by the standards of Vale. It had around five-hundred residents, split among a hundred or more buildings, some larger than others. There were fields outside with crops, and the occasional house outside the walls, but for the most part everything was enclosed. The streets weren't cobbled like Vale, but bare dirt worn into a hard path and dotted with grass.
I could see the inn in the background, and even though I had a home to come to, I made a note to check in later. Faith would need a stable, and without buying one, renting a room at the inn was the cheapest way to get her food and shelter.
Faith tossed her head beside me.
"Soon, Faith. I'll find you a nice spot of grass to munch on."
She'd been oddly sympathetic, perhaps recognising my mood. Not once had she tried to throw me off or bite me. In fact, when I'd come to the stables for a mount, she'd practically forced her way out to me, causing a racket until the stable hands just let her have her way. It was nice to see someone else putting up with her temper for a change.
A few people were awake and looking my way, but most were more amazed by the horse than I. She was a beautiful thing, well out of the price range of any simple merchant or Blacksmith. I'd have to keep an eye out for anyone who tried to steal her, though I pitied the fool who tried.
Taking her off the beaten path, we made our way around to the back wall of the settlement, to an expanse of grass and meadow that led to a single large hut, with another longer one beside it, open-roofed and surrounded by barrels of various smithing tools.
The house sat apart from any other, though not because of wealth or social pariah status. The forge could belch out smoke on a good day and cover the sky in smog on a bad one. Not to mention the constant ringing of metal on metal. Everyone knew a good Blacksmith was a boon to a village, but no one wanted to live next to the forge.
There was a little smoke coming from it now, despite that it couldn't have been any later than six. I brought Faith up a rope to her reins, then to a post driven into the ground. It gave her enough room to graze, which she happily got started with.
Cautiously, nervously, I made my way up the steps and into the forge. The fires were lit but were low, a burly man there, turning something in the coals. I coughed to make my presence known, if he hadn't heard Faith neighing outside.
"We're not open yet," the man grunted. "It's too early and I don't have the time for it. Come back in two hours."
Gruff as ever. I smiled.
"No time even for a son come to visit?"
Nicholas stiffened. The hand holding the bellows fell, along with the tongs he'd been wielding in the other, leaving the billet in the forge to turn to slag as the man spun on his heel, eyes wide and mouth even wider. He looked me up and down, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Jaune…?"
I was about to ask why the confusion when I realised the hood of my travelling cloak was up. I pushed it down, revealing blond hair, probably a little longer than Dad remembered, but unmistakeable nonetheless.
I nodded to the billet. "That's going to melt."
"Piss on that!" Nicholas cried. He stalked forwards, arms open wide halfway, and wrapped me up in a tight hug. His fists pounded my back. "Gods, I can't believe you're back! And without so much as a message to say you'd be coming!? I'd be furious if I wasn't so happy."
I offered him a half-shrug and a smile. "Wanted it to be a surprise."
"A surprise? Yeah, I'm surprised alright, but what a pleasant one!" He pushed back and looked me up and down in that way all parents do, as if he wanted to see every inch I'd grown. "Look at you, you're so different."
"Am I?"
"Not in looks but bearing. You look so confident, so mature, regal almost. It's like-" He cut off with a happy laugh. "But what am I doing keeping you here? We need to tell your Mom and the girls." he said, dragging me out of the forge. I could have stopped him and that surprised me. Dad had always been unnaturally strong, always moderating his Strength so he didn't hurt anyone. Now, I was the stronger and that felt strange.
Either way, I let him drag me to the house, where he pushed the door in without a care for the noise it made.
"Juniper!" he shouted. "June, come on. You need to see who's here."
There was a loud sigh from the kitchen adjoining the small hallway, and the wooden door there opened as a tall woman with blonde hair stepped out. She was clearly tired, and her hair stuck out at odd angles, something she'd never accept at her store back in the village proper. "What is it, Nicky?" Juniper groaned. "Not another one of your frie-" Her words cut off when she saw me.
"Hey Mom."
"JAUNE!" I barely had the time to catch the woman who flung herself at me. Her arms settled around my neck before I could say anything, and she hung on for dear life, laughing at the top of her lungs. "Oh, my baby has come back at last. I can't believe it."
There was a thud from upstairs, followed by stampeding feet. I knew what it entailed even before the floor above us shook.
"Looks like you get the full greeting," Nicholas chuckled.
His words proved prophetic. Amber reached the staircase first, pausing at the top in her linen nightclothes, but from the noise above it was clear she'd be ridden down if she didn't move. Luckily, that was the last thing on my little sister's mind as she screamed my name and dashed forward.
She was followed quickly by two more, and then two more – and then the rest, as all seven of my sisters ran, leapt and tumbled down the stairs in various states of sleepwear, each latching onto the ever-growing pile of bodies covering me.
"Jaune!"
"You're back."
"How long are-"
"Been boring without-"
"Stories of Vale."
"It's good to have you back!"
I wrapped my arms around them whenever I could, laughing the whole time. I'd never really thought about it at Beacon, too lost in all the things going on, but I really had missed them all. It was good to see them.
/-/
It took a full hour for everyone to calm down. Not just to disentangle the mess of bodies I'd become, but also to work through the questions fired at me faster than Coco could nock her bow. How was Vale? What was the city like? Had the war reached it? Where was my girlfriend? How did I get here? I had a horse? Can they ride the horse? Why can't we ride the horse now? Can they stroke the horse?
And more and more, until even my voice began to grow hoarse and I had to down a glass of water just to keep going.
"Come on now, girls," Mom said, pushing some porridge in front of each of us. "Your brother's clearly been riding all night to get here. He must be exhausted. You're going to be staying for a little while, right?"
"Two weeks," I answered.
"There. We have two weeks to get everything out, so let's not force all the questions down his throat now, otherwise he'll not have anything to tell us tomorrow."
"Aw…"
"But Vale…"
"Listen to your mother," Nicholas chided. "Still, we should celebrate the family being together again. If you'd sent word I could have bought some better food."
"The market is open today," Sapphire suggested.
"Hm, that's true." Mom sent me a coy smile. "Maybe you and Lavender could go shopping and take Jaune along."
I saw what she was doing, trying to help break me in early by letting me deal with only one or two of my sisters at once. It earned a grateful nod from me, though not quite the same gratitude from the others, who instantly started to complain.
"I'll be spending time with all of you later," I said, interrupting before Mom had to. "There's no need to start fighting. I'll even take you all riding on Faith later. How about that?"
The girls all cheered, but Mom looked worried. "Is that safe?"
"As long as I'm not the one riding her, yes."
Mom looked confused. I wasn't sure she'd understand `Faith things`, so shrugged and went back to my porridge. A part of me lamented that I was lying, even to them. They thought I worked at a smithy in Vale, a safe job.
I'd tell them the truth, I decided almost immediately. No more secrets.
Tomorrow though.
No need to ruin the celebration tonight, and I could spend the rest of the time here calming them down. I was alive, and I obviously couldn't go back to being a Hero, so I doubted they'd have much reason to panic. Mom would call me an idiot, Dad would be angry, but if I'd learned anything from lying to my friends, it was that it would only get worse the longer I left it.
I was tired of that. My family would get the full story.
/-/
"Jaune, we can't afford lamb," Sapphire hissed, tugging on my arm. The man opposite me, the stand-owner, frowned at the sudden knowledge, looking a whole let less enthused with his customers. The Arc family wasn't poor by any means, but the sheer number of children they had made life difficult. For one, we needed more food than anyone else.
"I'll cover it," I said, opening my lien pouch and flashing it before the butcher. His eyes widened to comical proportions, as they probably should. I was well-off by Vale standards after all the Quests, fighting and selling of enchanted gear.
By the standards of a village like Ansel, I was probably the wealthiest man around.
"We'll take two of your lamb joints," I said. "And a cut of ham and some beef. Make it your best and there'll be a little extra in it for you."
"Of course, sir, of course." The man hurried to obey, drawing out some large slabs of fresh meat and cutting into them expertly. There was something about meat from the countryside that just made it better than the city, probably the fact everything sold in Vale had at least a few days lost in transport from the farms to the city.
As the Butcher measured it out with a happy smile, Sapphire and Lavender looked at me, shocked. Mom told us to go get food, but the amount she'd given Sapphire was… well, it was a lot by the standards of a family with eight children. She probably expected us to come back with some offal, bread and ingredients for stew.
"Work is good in Vale," I said, allowing the two to see my finances.
"Holy sh-" Sapphire cut off with a glance to Lavender. "-Sugar," she finished. "Your letter said you were doing well, but I didn't think you meant this well." She looked up at me. "Are you sure it's okay to waste all this on food, though?"
"It's not a waste if it's a celebration."
"I guess…"
"Here you are, sir." The man pushed over the meat for me to inspect. My knowledge of meat was limited to `came from animal`, `tasty`, and `needs to be cooked`, but I inspected it nonetheless and hummed like I knew what I was doing.
"Looks good," I eventually decided. "How much?"
"Two hundred and ten lien, sir."
Sapphire gasped. "Two hundred and ten!? You robbing-"
"Here's two hundred and fifty," I said, handing it over. "Keep the change."
"Bless you, sir!"
I smiled back and wrapped the meat up in paper provided by the Butcher. He, eager to help, tied it with some string, stacked the meats atop one another and then tied those together, too. The whole package looked heavy, more than Lavender could deal with at any rate, but I lifted it up and carried it under my arm with ease.
"That was way too much," Sapphire said when we left. "We could have bought slightly more aged meat for one hundred and fifty-five at most!"
"It's fine. I want to spoil you girls for a change. Is that a bad thing?"
"Well, no…" Sapphire muttered something under her breath about how little brothers shouldn't show up their big sisters like this. "But Mom's going to want vegetables as well. She only gave us sixty lien and… ugh, you're going to buy all the vegetables as well, aren't you?"
I grinned. "Yep."
"Knew it…"
A local farmer knew it later, too, when I purchased a bag of fresh carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, beets and even a few apples for the girls. The man recognised me, and like the Butcher, looked a little irritated at first, like I was wasting his time. The clink-clink of lien changed his mind, however, and he quickly instructed his daughter to pick out the best and have it bagged.
"Heard you took to the city, lad. Didn't expect to see you back so soon, or that you'd have done so well for yourself."
"Ha. Well, you know how it is. Dad didn't raise me to be lazy."
"He certainly didn't. Say hi to your old man for me, will ya? That hoe he repaired last season is still holdin' strong. 'Becca, do you have the good lad's produce?"
"I've got it, Pa." The girl, Rebecca, I recalled, was a rather cute looking girl with a round face, brown hair and the deepest brown eyes I'd ever seen. I idly remembered having a crush on her a while back, though she never gave me the time of day. Not out of cruelty; I'd never had the guts to approach her, and I'd not been handsome enough for her to approach me.
Which was why I was left a little baffled when she came up to me now with her hands linked behind her back and her chest pushed out a little. "H-Hello Jaune. You've grown. It's good to see you again."
I flashed a smile. "Hey Rebecca."
"You remember me?" Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink and she giggled. Her father, weathered and worn from time in the field, watched with a curious grin of his own. "Are you staying in Ansel long?"
"Just for the two weeks. I came to visit the family."
"That's good. M-Maybe we'll see one another around?"
"Maybe we will," I said.
"Yer can chase the lad later, Becca," her father said, earning an indignant gasp. "He's paid us well. Have you gotten everything packed for him?"
"Y-Yes, Pa. I put it into baskets for you," she said, smiling at me again. "There's quite a lot of them, though." She indicated the stack, at least four baskets high and filled with heavy fruit and veg. "Would you like me to help carry them to your home? I don't mind and we could-"
"Nah, it's fine." I knelt, adjusting the meat to lay on top. "I've got this."
Sapphire sighed. "Jaune, there's no need to show o-"
"Hm?" I asked, now stood with all the food held before me. "What was that?"
"N-Nothing…"
"Wow," Rebecca said, gasping quietly. She peeked around the side of the baskets, though instead of looking at my face, she looked at my bare arms, visible through the simple short-sleeved tunic I wore. "Oh, wow…"
"Someone's been eating their veg," Sapphire said with a sigh. "Come on, bro."
"Thanks Mr Simmons," Lavender called to the farmer, who waved us off with a toothless smile.
We joined the throngs in the market once more. I noticed I was getting more than my fair of attention, probably because of the veritable feast I was carrying. I was barely able to see over the top.
"You sure you're okay with that?" Sapphire asked.
"It's not too heavy. Just awkward."
"Jaune, I wouldn't be able to move that without a wheelbarrow. Hell, even if I had one, I'd need to make two journeys. You're not even breaking a sweat."
"And I thought Dad was strong," Lavender whispered.
"Dad is strong. Jaune is just ridiculous." Unable to satisfy her curiosity, Sapphire slid up and wrapped her fingers around my right arm, somewhere on the bicep. She gave it an experimental squeeze and whistled. "Like solid steel. Sheesh. What do they feed you in the city?"
Suddenly self-conscious, I laughed. "Well, you know how it is. Smithing takes a lot of hard work."
"Yeah, sure. No wonder so many girls are paying attention. That's one of your old tunics and you're about to pop out of it."
I had noticed that, or rather the thin material feeling more than a little tight on the chest. Most of my clothing from Beacon was too heavy to wear casually, though. It was designed to fit under armour and offer protection.
"Maybe I should grab some clothes while we're out."
"Tomorrow," Sapphire said. "If you start carrying any more than that, a lot of men are going to start feeling inadequate and we'll have to fight off the girls with a pitchfork." She sighed and looked down at the sixty lien Mom gave her, which probably seemed paltry compared to everything we'd just spent. "I'll use this to buy some fancy-ass bread, I guess. And I'll be carrying it," she growled before I could think to offer. "At least let your big sister suffer under the burden of two loaves of bread."
She stomped off with a scowl, leaving me and Lavender behind.
"Was it something I did?" I asked, genuinely confused.
Lavender just kept giggling.
/-/
Mom and Dad were equal parts shocked and horrified when they saw how much we'd brought back, only calming down when I explained that yes, I'd bought it all, and no, it wasn't going to push me into poverty anytime soon. It was only showing them the lien I had remaining that calmed them down.
"Clothes shopping!" Jade cried at the sight of it.
"Pretty jewellery!" Hazel added.
"You're not taking advantage of your brother!" Mom chided, smacking them each around the head with a wooden ladle. She was in her apron, though considering how much food we'd brought, she wasn't cooking alone like usual. Sable, Coral and Lavender were helping her, they being the most culinarily gifted of the family.
"It's fine," I said. "I can afford to spoil them a little."
"Sheesh, someone came back a whole lot better than he left," Hazel teased. "What the hell happened out there, and when I find a guy, can I send them on a pilgrimage to Vale, too?"
"It's ridiculous," Sapphire said. "You should have seen the attention he was getting. Girls couldn't keep their eyes off him."
"Not surprised with that tunic bursting at the seams." Coral reached down to grab my tunic and drag it up, exposing my stomach. "Look at that! Those aren't abs, they're banded armour plates!"
Blacksmith jokes. Sheesh…
"Well, those hussies will just have to back off," Mom said, her back to us. "My boy already has a woman in his life and I didn't raise someone who sleeps around and breaks women's hearts."
Y-Yeah.
Not at all…
I was saved from the awkward atmosphere as Mom came around with a plate stacked high with carved ham, laying it down on the table. Sable followed with the lamb and Coral brought the beef, followed by plates of steamed vegetables, doughy bread and thick gravy made from the juices that ran off the meat. The table creaked under the weight of it all, but if our faces were anything to go by, we'd soon sort that problem out.
"To Jaune!" Dad said, pouring some fruit juice into cups for each of us. "Our son returned, and the feast he's gifted us all with."
"To Jaune!" everyone echoed.
I tried not to blush, and barely managed a nervous laugh when Mom leaned over to place a kiss on my cheek, settling down beside me.
"It's good to have you back," she said with a beautiful smile.
Just like that, the tension I'd felt since leaving Beacon slipped away. The fear of my family's reaction pushed aside, at least for now. The rejection, the pain, the anger at my own lies. All of it ceased to matter as I sat at a simple wooden table in a small dining room, on uncomfortable benches with my countryside bumpkin of a family.
I'd not thought I'd feel this way coming home, but I did. Despite all my attempts to leave, my desperate desire to be more than this, I finally felt at home. Content. I smiled back at them all, lifting my cup to meet theirs.
"It's good to be back."
So, there we go. Despite the lengthy intro note, the chapter itself is still the usual length, so don't worry about that. I hope this has cleared up some of the confusion some people had. For instance, in the last chapter, no one actually attacked Jaune for being a Blacksmith (apart from Weiss, which was intended to be wrong, and a sign of her grieving).
They're not angry at him for being a Blacksmith, nor for lying at first. Rather, they're angry that he persisted with the lie long after it became unnecessary.
Which I suppose is what some feel I've done with the pairing for this fic, in which case I'll say again – I apologise.
Be sure to check my profile and throw your vote in on the pairing. Like I said, I won't let it dictate anything, nor will I promise anything (learned my lesson there), but I'll take the results into consideration. Things can change, as they did the first time, but the poll is so that I can gauge reader opinion. Any final decision I will be making in silence. I would ask that people take their opinions to the poll. While you're free to give them in reviews, it's my hope the review section won't explode into arguments, warfare or more.
Nor is there too much need for people to be worried that I will cave to pressure and make a story worse because of some complaints. I learned that lesson from "The Entertainer", which I ended up making a lot more PG and, in my opinion, a worse story, because of a lot of complaints I got about strippers being awful people or such. It was meant to be a lot darker, and probably would have been better if it was, but I lessened the tone due to concerns from people. I'll not do that here. The poll is just so I can see what people genuinely want. Nothing more.
Jaune is back with his family anyway, and already showing how much he's changed. Physically and mentally.
Next Chapter: 27th August
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur
