Hello everyone! We are back with another chapter of Gryphon Knight, and ahead of schedule too! I didn't think I was going to be able to finish this one until next month. Now don't worry, I'm still going to be uploading another chapter next month as well, this isn't going to stop me from doing so. It should also be a fair bit shorter than this one was. Without any Author's Notes this chapter is over twelve thousand words long, making it the second longest chapter of Gryphon Knight behind chapter 17, which is nearly fourteen thousand words long. And folks, things happen in this chapter. There's a lot of set up for future events, and I cannot wait to see what y'all think about this chapter!
With all that out of the way, ON WITH THE STORY!
Jaune stepped forward and cut. Crocea Mors split the air with a hiss.
Pyrrha smiled. "Good! Now come up in a high guard and hold your stance."
Jaune brought Crocea Mors up over his head, one hand on the hilt, the other gripping half way down the blade. "Like this, right?"
"Right. Since Grimm are typically much taller than humans this guard is great for protecting against them as it's designed to ward off overhead attacks. It can also be used for making downward thrusts into a Grimm's midsection, or at a human or Faunus opponent."
It had been a week since the attempt on Jaune's life. In that time he had recovered enough that his doctor was allowing him to walk about freely and perform light exercises. Jaune had immediately leapt to perform weapon drills, but Brillant Mors was a bit heavy to handle in his current state, so instead Pyrrha had suggested he train with his longsword, with her tutoring him in its use. The squire had agreed happily, eager to do anything that wasn't laying in bed all day. Pyrrha had brought him Crocea Mors and her own blade Miló and they had begun training. The tournament champion didn't typically fight wielding Miló in both hands, but it was a useful thing to know all the same.
She cut at Jaune's head slowly, letting him catch and turn the strike on the edge of Crocea Mors. In a true spar she would have been moving much faster, but as Jaune was still recovering she didn't want to put unnecessary strain on his body. Better to teach him the ropes now, then test him for real when he was at a hundred percent.
Or a hundred and ten percent. Jaune's growth had continued throughout his stay in the hospital. He was easily as big as Cardin now, if not bigger. His body had filled out even more with muscle. His old clothes no longer fit, and he'd started wearing nurse scrubs during his stay in the hospital that he quickly grew into and had to be changed out for a larger set. Pyrrha wondered when he'd stop growing. She wondered what had happened to cause this. She wondered about a lot of things these days. Blake's words had made her start seriously questioning the strange events surrounding Jaune and the effect they were having on him. She'd always been curious ever since they'd met Nathaniel, but the Battle of the Breach and the Dark Champion had changed things. That thing had come for Jaune specifically, it had nearly killed him. She and the rest of JNPR had been content to let him keep his secrets, but if those secrets were putting him in danger...
The champion fighter smiled and sheathed her blade. "Why don't we take a break?"
Her leader grinned and lowered his blade. "Sure." He sheathed the longsword in its black scabbard and sat next to her on a nearby bench. She handed him a water bottle and he took it gratefully, sipping the contents. "I'm ready to get out of here."
"I know, but it's not much longer. Doctor Albus said that you'd bee free to go by the end of the week."
"I know I know, but I'm ready now. I've been cooped up for too long, even with everyone keeping me company. I want to get to training, properly training with you and Ren and Nora, prepping for the Vytal festival. We've only got what, a month or so before the tournament right?" He slammed his fist into his palm, grinning eagerly. "Team Ruby and Team Sun are already training their tactics, and there's gonna be plenty of other competition too. I want to see how I stack up to them."
Pyrrha looked at him curiously. "I've never seen you this excited to fight before."
"I haven't been cooped up inside for over a month before. I guess I'm just feeling hyperactive."
Pyrrha could understand that. Being effectively bedridden for as long as he had would have driven her mad too. "We can always go over strategies and put them to the test when you're fully functional again," she suggested.
"Good point. In fact, I've got this one idea I've been bouncing around for awhile..."
Pyrrha listened as Jaune laid out his plan, smiling happily. It was like old times, in a way. There was no Nathaniel, no Talon, just the two of them training together. Her heart ached for those days. Things had been so much simpler back then. Now it was all so complicated. Jaune was a hero now, a celebrity. A bigger one than she'd ever been, not that she minded that. But it made personal time with him hard. There were Atlas soldiers at what seemed like every turn, watching and guarding him. Back at Beacon students she'd never exchanged so much as a hello with approached her and asked her how Jaune was doing, even girls and a couple boys asking if the thing between him and Cinder was 'serious'. It was the same for Nora and Ren. Team JNPR had quickly become the focus of much attention in the school and beyond. There had always been eyes on them thanks to her, but this went beyond that. Jaune was the talk of the school body even a month after the Battle of the Breach.
But here in this moment none of that mattered. Right now it was just her and Jaune together away from the prying eyes of the world. She would cherish this time with him as dearly as she could.
Jaune leaned back on the bench and sighed, face turned up to the sky to bask in the sunlight. Pyrrha had left to go back to Beacon about an hour ago. The two of them had wound up spending more time talking strategy and hadn't gotten back around to combat training. Not that either of them minded. Jaune liked talking with Pyrrha. She was his partner, and perhaps the person he was closest to outside of Talon. He didn't get to spend enough time with her these days, what with everything that was going on in his life.
He frowned as his thoughts drifted to Amber, hidden beneath the CCT tower.
"Ozpin's going to choose Pyrrha to inherit the Maiden's powers."
Talon, perched on the roof of the hospital, briefly paused in preening himself to look at Jaune before responding. "Of course he will. She is the only acceptable candidate in Beacon."
"How do you mean?"
"She has everything he will be looking for in a Maiden. True, she's kind hearted and humble, as well as highly skilled and intelligent. But those are not the primary traits he is looking for. Pyrrha is pliable."
Jaune's eyes snapped open and he glared at the Gryphon. "I don't appreciate you talking about her like that."
"Like it or not, it's true. Pyrrha is not a leader at heart. She does not want to be. She does not want to stand out more than she already does, so she toes the lines and abides by the rules. Combine that with an honest heart and a desire to help people, and Pyrrha will be easily influenced by Ozpin. She will do as she is told, and he will keep her on a short leash."
"Are we suspecting too much of Ozpin? I mean, he's done nothing but help us so far, and the only reason we even suspect him of anything wrong is the words of a guy we haven't even met, along with the words of someone who, at best, plays hopscotch back and forth over the line of legality."
"Think about it Jaune. The Maidens are incredibly powerful, able to control and manipulate the very elements. If such power were to fall into the wrong hands, what devastation could be wrought? And their powers are transferred in a way that only their wielder can control, at least until Salem's agents found a way around that. So why would such a powerful and valuable asset be on her own in the middle of nowhere with no support? And why did Ozpin just happen to have an underground vault built beneath the Vale CCT tower and two machines capable of artificially transmitting such power into another vessel? It all tastes of too much coincidence for my liking."
Jaune frowned. Talon was right. There was a piece of the puzzle he was missing, perhaps several pieces, but he had enough put together to start disliking the picture he was being presented with. If they were right about him... Jaune couldn't let Pyrrha have the Maiden powers. Not only would it end any chances she had of being a normal girl with her team, it would put a target on her back for whoever had attacked Amber. On top of that if Ozpin had either played a role in the attack on her or let it happen, then that meant he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to Pyrrha if he thought it necessary...
"There you are!"
He turned at the familiar voice as Weiss Schnee strode towards him, a stack of binders and books in hand. He smiled tightly and moved over to make space for her on the bench. "Hey, Weiss."
The white haired heiress settled down next to him and tossed her long hair over one shoulder. "You're lucky I knew you weren't foolish enough to try and sneak out again like last time. If you had I would have actually strapped you to your bed."
"Heh, yeah."
Weiss frowned at his tone, concern etching her features. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he lied. "Just got done training with Pyrrha a bit ago so I guess I'm still a bit tired is all."
"Hmph. You're a bad liar Jaune Arc." She stuck a finger in his face. "Stop it with the tough guy routine. I can tell something's bothering you."
Well it wasn't like he could tell her the truth. "Sorry Weiss, I'm just concerned that Ozpin is going to turn my partner into his personal weapon of mass destruction." That wouldn't exactly go over well. But he had to give her something. The heiress wasn't the type to leave a problem alone until it was solved. "I'm... worried about the party I guess."
Weiss's face softened and she sighed, looking away from him. "Me too."
"Really? I would have figured you'd be good at them."
"Oh, I am." She huffed and rested her chin on her hands, elbows on her knees. It suddenly struck Jaune that she'd never been so relaxed around him before. She was always sitting up, back straight, in perfect posture. He'd never seen her slumped over like this. "But that doesn't mean I like them. They're an utter drag, just a bunch of people in fancy clothes who show up to see and be seen. It's all so... so fake." She sat up suddenly and crossed her arms. "I hate it. It's all empty words and veiled insults. No one is there to just do the right thing. If they were they'd just donate the money that the party is supposed to gather rather than throw on their fanciest clothes and finest pearls and parade themselves around. It's about making and breaking connections, trying to come out on top and leaving everyone else behind you. It's never about doing the right thing."
Jaune listened quietly as she spoke. This... was the most open she'd ever been with him.
"And they're going to try to tear you apart on the social stage for their own amusement. They don't care that you stopped the Grimm from destroying Vale, they don't care that you killed a creature that experienced huntsmen and huntresses couldn't even hurt, and they most certainly don't care that you saved my life."
She looked at him in that moment, and he saw passion blazing in her light blue eyes. "But I care. I'm not going to let them do that to you, I won't allow it. You saved my life at the Breach, and I know you've done more for me than that. I know our start was... rocky, but I finally see you for who you are and I don't want them to disgrace you for fun. So I'm going to train you in everything you need to know, and when you arrive at that ball you're going to show every single one of them how pathetic they and their little games are."
Jaune remembered what Weiss had told him when she had visited him in the hospital. Things she wasn't aware he knew, because she'd thought he was asleep at the time. Another reason she hated these parties was because she'd be swarmed by suitors vying for her attention. "We could just... not go."
The heiress sighed and closed her eyes. "No. We have to go."
"Why? We could just say we got called away on a mission or something."
"Really? My team, yours, Cardinal, and Nathaniel all happened to get called away on a mission at the same time, right when the party was going to take place."
"It's a really big mission?"
Weiss shook her head. "My father won't accept any excuse for anyone's absence. Especially yours or mine. He expects us to be there. The reason anyone will attend will be to see you and, of course, to be seen talking to you. If you don't show they won't donate to have the breach fixed, and they'll find a way to blame it all on you."
Jaune groaned and leaned against the bench, head tilted back to look at the sky. The squire had met Jacques Schnee all of one time, but it had been more than enough for him to decide he seriously disliked the man on a number of levels even without knowing what Weiss had told him. "I don't mean to be rude Weiss, but your dad's kind of a jerk."
"My father is a massive asshole and a stain on my family name."
Jaune's jaw dropped. Talon stopped preening his feathers and turned to stare at her just as the blonde boy did the same. He'd never heard Weiss swear before. He was shocked she was even capable of it. "What?"
"Everything that's wrong with my family is his fault. He told my mother on my tenth birthday that he only married her for the family name. That drove her to the bottle to find comfort in a loveless marriage, leaving myself and my siblings to deal with our overbearing and uncaring father to raise us. He doesn't care about us as his children, only as extensions of his 'legacy'. That's why Winter joined the Atlas military, to get away from him and away from being the next in line to take over the SDC. I came to Beacon to get away from him and Atlas high society, from frilly parties and suitors and..." she sighed. "It feels like he's trying to drag me back into all of it, but now he's trying to sink his claws into all of you too."
"This man sounds absolutely dreadful. Can I eat him?"
Jaune actually considered it for a second. "Unfortunately no. I'd rather you not cause and international incident." It was a nice mental image though. "He won't get at us Weiss, whatever he tries. We're all gonna be at your side the whole time."
She brushed a length of snow white hair back over her shoulder. The sun shone down on her, the light glimmering off of her hairpiece and making it shine. She seemed to shine under the light, her pure white outfit reflecting the light and her alabaster skin practically glowing softly. She turned and smiled at him, her bright ice blue eyes meeting his burning sapphire eyes.
Jaune's heart ached in that moment. He wished he could wrap his arms around her and hold her close.
They both realized they were staring openly at one another at the same time and looked away, cheeks tinged pink.
"I..." Weiss cleared her throat. "Sorry."
"It's fine," he responded as his other hand gripped the arm rest of the bench hard enough to bend the metal. Even now, when he knew she was with someone else, when he was... kind of with someone else, he still...
"So I guess we should get to studying," he said, eager to change the subject.
"Yes! Er, yes. We should do that." She opened her first book. "Now, I think we'll start with going back over dining etiquette..."
Weiss hadn't heard the woman's voice again since the attempt on Jaune's life. She wasn't sure what to think about that. Had it been a figment of her imagination? Some manifestation of her anger and desire to protect the blonde boy? No, she didn't truly think that was the case. It had happened at the same time as the Angel's Rose flaring to life and her summoning of the White Knight. It couldn't have been a coincidence.
But what could she do about it? 'Hey team, I'm hearing the voice of a woman in my head claiming that Jaune is my 'champion'. That's normal, right?' No, that way lay the fast track to a padded cell and a straight jacket. She had simply kept quiet about it and hoped it wouldn't happen again, the only real option she felt she had available to her. If the voice did return, she would have to talk to someone about it, though she couldn't fathom who she could talk to without seeming like a crazy person. Perhaps Jaune? It had originally come from him after all, and as Blake had pointed out all kinds of strange things were happening around him. Maybe he would know something. But until she was sure she was hearing a voice and it wasn't a one off thing, she would keep silent about it.
About an hour into Weiss's lesson on etiquette the two had decided to move back into his room to continue. They had been starting to draw eyes and whispers, and Weiss was pretty sure she'd seen some people taking pictures on scrolls.
Weiss was quietly impressed by Jaune's retention of the information she'd been teaching him. Despite his dislike for the subject he remembered everything she taught him and kept detailed notes. From how to hold a fork to how to politely tell someone to screw off without actually saying it, the blonde boy had learned well.
But there was one last lesson to impart. One she had waited on because his body hadn't been in a condition for it before.
Weiss closed her book and set it aside. "Okay. I don't think there's much point in going over what we've already covered anymore. You've got the information down, it will just be a matter of applying it."
Jaune looked at her hopefully. "So... we're done?"
The heiress smiled coyly and stood up. "That eager to get rid of me?" she teased.
"W-well no, of course not! It's just that, you know..."
She laughed, one hand covering her mouth. "It's boring, I know. It was boring for me as well when I had to learn it. But this next part should be more interesting." She pulled up an appropriate song on her scroll, started it, and stood in the middle of the room. "I'm going to teach you how to dance."
He blinked. "I already know how to dance. You saw me at the Vytal festival ball."
She scoffed. "That was no ball, it was a party for children who think dancing is placing their hands on one another's hips or around the other person's neck and swaying back and forth. True ballroom dancing is a different beast entirely. You'll need to know how to at least waltz, they'll expect it of you."
Jaune grinned. "What happened to disliking high society?"
"I dislike the dishonesty and selfishness of such people. The dancing is another matter entirely."
He laughed and stood up, stepping over to her. "Alright, what's first?"
Weiss took his right hand hand in her left. It was much larger than hers, and warm. Trying not to think about it, she guided his hand under her arm and onto her back, directly over her left shoulder blade. She placed her left hand on his upper arm. "Good. Now take your left arm and raise it to just below shoulder height, then bend your elbow sharply." He did so, and Weiss raised her right arm and wrapped her hand around his own. It was a good bit larger than hers, rough and warm to the touch where hers was soft and cool. She had a brief flashback to her talk with his unconscious form, her hand wrapped around his in a similar fashion.
The heiress closed her eyes and forced the memory away. Now was not the time to focus on those kind of things. "Okay now I just have to..." she stepped slightly to her left and into him, her form gently pressed against his larger frame. He was very warm against her. "N-now we hold our elbows out and- ah!"
Jaune stepped forward with his left foot and swept Weiss around. She squealed and nearly tripped, but she had years of dancing practice and experience and caught herself, following as he led the waltz. "Jaune! what-?"
"Oh, did I forget to mention I took dancing classes back home?" He grinned. "Must have slipped my mind."
"Dancing classes?" She giggled. "When? Why?"
"Mom wanted my sisters and I to learn how to dance formally, so she and dad paid for classes. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I had thought I would."
The two of them swept around, gliding across the floor. "How many sisters do you have?"
"Not many, just seven."
"Seven?!" Weiss couldn't imagine having that many siblings. "No brothers?"
"Not a one. It made life... interesting," he chuckled. "They put me in a dress once."
"A dress? You must have been embarrassed."
"Eh, I was three at the time. Not old enough to care beyond the fact that it made my sisters smile and laugh."
She couldn't imagine that. Winter would have never done that to her, well not if she'd been born a boy, and neither of them ever did anything like that with Whitley. Father would never have allowed it. "It sounds mean do that to a little boy."
"Well it's not like they paraded me around town or anything. According to Mom it all started when I asked why girls wore skirts and pants, but boys only wore pants. It escalated from there."
Jaune swept Weiss off her feet and into the air, lifting her effortlessly. She squealed and laughed as he set her back down. That most certainly wasn't part of the waltlz, but she couldn't bring herself to mind. "You're very good! Jaune, you could dance professionally with skill like that!"
He shrugged in an attempt to feign indifference, but she could see the pleased look on his face. "I guess so. I never considered it."
"Why not?" She placed her hand back on his upper arm as he slipped his around her back.
"I always wanted to be a huntsman. I wanted to be a hero. Ever since I was a little boy listening to my grandfather's stories about his battles against the Grimm I never wanted anything more. I wanted to help people, save the day." He chuckled. "Course, then I came to Beacon and realized how in over my head I was."
Weiss smiled up at him as they danced in a circle. The music played softly from her scroll as they moved in time to the rhythm. "You were a little underwhelming, I'll admit."
"Just a little? I'll take that as a compliment."
She smirked. "And annoying, and clumsy, and naïve, and scrawny..."
"Okay, okay," he laughed. "Message received."
Weiss's smile grew a bit brighter as they circled the hospital room. She never would have imagined she could feel so comfortable around Jaune of all people. "Of course you're different now. You're the hero you wanted to be."
He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I am. It's funny, I used to want to be a hero, but with everything that's happened, Talon, Nathaniel, the Order, the breach... now I just want everyone to come out of this alive and safe. I couldn't care less about fame."
"Maybe, but you saved my life at the Breach. That makes you a hero in my book." Weiss looked up into Jaune's eyes. He had changed so much in the span of just a few months. At the start of Beacon he'd been a scrawny boy with stars in his eyes that couldn't take a hint. Now he was a tall and powerful man with burning sapphire eyes who'd fought a monster straight out of a horror story and won.
But he was still the old Jaune in so many ways.
He blushed and looked away from her. "T-thanks." He was grinning like a dork, his face flushed red. It was... cute.
The two of them stayed like that for a time, simply moving in time with the music and not saying anything. Weiss wanted to say something to him, but she couldn't think of anything. She wanted to keep talking to him, get to know him more and make up for lost time. Ultimately it was Jaune who broke the silence. He beamed at her, eyes gleaming. "Why don't you put on something else?"
Weiss's face turned beet red. "What?!"
"Yeah! I think it's safe to say I can waltz pretty well if you were impressed by me. Why don't we do something a little more complex?"
"Oh! R-right. Music." That was definitely what Weiss had thought he meant.
Weiss stepped back as Jaune released her and went over to her scroll. It was suddenly a bit chilly without Jaune's warmth. She didn't like it.
The heiress bit her lip thoughtfully as she ran through the list of songs on her scroll. She'd downloaded a number of songs for multiple styles of dance, so the issue was figuring out which one to try next. She glanced at Jaune for a moment. He clearly had the waltz down, so perhaps something a bit faster? She selected a song and hit play then rushed back over to him as the music began to play. He wrapped his arm around her again, placing his right hand on her back as she placed her hand on his warm arm and they interlocked their free hands. As soon as they were hand in hand they began to move, the new song's faster tempo having them dance around the hospital room at a quicker pace. Despite being barefoot Jaune kept his footing easily as the two spun about one another, moving in time to the music.
At some point they stopped paying attention to the music and started moving however they wanted to. Jaune would pick her up and turn about with her in the air, which she loved but would die before she admitted, or she would twirl under his arm, spinning away from him to the full extent of their interlocked hands before twirling back into him and pressing her back to his chest. They flowed around and with each other smoothly as they glided about the hospital room, hands interlocked and Jaune's arm about her back, laughing as they danced.
Eventually they slowed back down and went back to the waltz, stepping in time to the chosen song as Weiss pressed herself against him and leaned into his body, enjoying the feel of his hand on her back. She smiled softly and rested her head on his chest, eyes closed. She could feel his heart beat.
"So how's my dancing? Think I'll be able to cut the rug at the party?"
Weiss snorted with laughter, a completely undignified sound. "Never call it that again, but... yes. I think you'll do just fine." The heiress's ice blue eyes opened and she looked up at him with a smile. "I'll admit, you surprised me today. I never thought you would be a proficient dancer."
He grinned widely down at her. "What can I say Snow Angel? I'm full of surprises."
"You're such a dunce," she giggled, not minding his use of the old nickname. She figured he'd earned the right to call her that.
"Maybe, but I'm your dunce."
Weiss froze, her eyes going wide at what he'd just said. Jaune tensed up against her, face turning red from embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered as he let go of her and stepped back. "I shouldn't have said- I didn't mean..." He cleared his throat and stared at the ground, arms crossed over his body and his face nearly scarlet. "Sorry."
Weiss cleared her throat, her own face turning a darker hue. "I-it's okay. I think that's enough studying for today." Her arms were clasped around her lithe form. She felt chilly all of a sudden. She squashed a sudden urge to nestle up against Jaune for his warmth.
"Y-yeah, I think that would be best..."
The look on Jaune's face was practically despondent as he said that, eyes downcast and a frown on his lips. Sympathy welled up in the heiress for him and she closed the distance he'd made between them, placing her hand on his large bicep. "I can come back tomorrow," she said cheerfully. "We'll uh... practice more dancing! That would be fun!"
Jaune looked at her, their blue eyes meeting again. She saw sadness in his gaze. The tall man sighed and took her hand in his, closing his eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea Weiss."
The words hit her like Nora's hammer to the chest. "W-why not?" She reached up with her other hand and wrapped both around his larger one, holding it gently and running her thumbs over the back of his hand. Why didn't he want to spend more time with her?
Jaune reached out with his free hand and cupped her cheek in his warm palm. Weiss leaned into the touch, resting her head in his large hand. He opened his eyes and looked at her with a pained gaze. "Because we both have our own... things with other people. Me with Cinder-"
Jealously and anger, white hot and bubbling, rose up in the white haired girl's chest at the thought of Cinder. How dare that hussy think she could-
"- and you with Neptune."
Neptune.
Neptune.
Oh dear gods she'd forgotten about Neptune.
Reality came crashing down on Weiss like a sack of bricks as she fully realized where she was, what she was doing, what she'd wanted to do, and with who. She released Jaune's hand with a strangled gasp and stepped back from him, rushing over to the end table where her scroll was placed. She snatched it up and paused the music, then checked her notifications. Two messages, one thirty minutes ago and another fifteen minutes ago, and a call just two minutes ago. All of them were from Neptune. She had been so absorbed in the dancing, in Jaune, that she'd-
"I have to go," the heiress said breathlessly as she made for the door. "I-I have a date and I completely forgot and now I'm late and-" she grabbed the door knob and stopped, turning to look at Jaune.
He was standing in the middle of the room, one hand rubbing the opposite arm awkwardly as he stared at the floor. All alone in his little hospital room with no one to keep him company. She... didn't want to go. She wanted to stay here, with him. She wanted to stay with him.
The blonde squire looked at her and smiled bitterly. She could tell he was trying to put on a brave face for her sake, but he had always been a bad liar. He wanted her to stay at least as much as she herself did.
"Go on," he said softly. "You're running late as it is. And tell Neptune hey for me, would you? I'd like it if he came and visited more often. I need more guy friends to hang around to keep my testosterone up." He clearly meant it as a joke to lighten the mood, to make leaving easier for her.
It didn't work.
"You should stay with him, Snow Angel."
Weiss's heart leapt into her throat as the woman spoke in her head.
She ran out of the hospital room.
Neptune Vasilias stared at his scroll and sighed.
He was leaning against the wall of a little cafe, his and Weiss's chosen location for today's date. A date she was over half an hour late for.
He knew where she was. She was at the hospital with Jaune, tutoring him for that upcoming event her father was throwing. It wasn't like she'd tried to hide that from him or anything. Lessons were probably just running longer than she had intended.
"If that's all they're doing, that is."
Neptune clenched his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, expelling the unkind thought. That wasn't fair to either of them. Jaune had literally saved her life and almost died in the process. Of course she'd feel indebted to him for that, it was only natural. On top of that Jaune had helped Neptune get over his irrational embarrassment over his inability to dance and ask Weiss out, despite the fact that the blonde had strong feelings for her himself. Neptune owed him big time as well. Obviously not to the same extent as Weiss though. Besides, Jaune and Cinder had... something going on, though it wasn't clear to anyone just what that was.
But could Neptune really be blamed for feeling a bit outclassed? It was Jaune friggin' Arc for crying out loud! Neptune knew him personally, and he was still larger than life! The guy fought monsters from hell and rode into battle on the back of a Gryphon on the regular. Compared to that Neptune was just... some guy.
Make no mistake, Neptune was handsome and charming, and he knew it. He'd used his skills and his looks to score plenty of dates and short relationships with attractive girls back in Mistral. But there was charming and handsome, then there was a guy who was all that and a heroic bad ass to boot.
And on top of that, Jaune had clearly possessed stronger feelings for Weiss than Neptune himself. Neptune liked her of course. She was attractive, cultured, witty with a dry sense of humor, and intelligent. There was plenty about her to like, but there was a difference between being into someone and nearly killing yourself to protect them.
Neptune sighed and pushed himself off the wall. He'd call her again in a few minutes if she didn't respond. He would just go for a short stroll while he waited, stretch his legs.
The huntsman in training tucked his hands into his pockets and walked down the street, flowing with the crowd of people going back and forth along the side walk. With the Vytal festival starting in just a few weeks people from all of the other kingdoms were flooding into Vale to attend. It was a massive event for the entire world, and the crowd he was in showed that. There were two women in classic Mistralian outfits chatting with each other as they walked arm in arm, a shirtless man with a considerable beer gut and heavily muscled arms that just absolutely screamed Vacuan nodding along to music blasting in his earbuds as he knocked back a bottle of booze, a thin man in a grey suit bearing the spear and gear of Atlas on his left shoulder pouring over something on his scroll, and of course plenty of native Valeans going about their lives. The bluenette grinned slightly. It was nice to see so many people coming together for a good time. The Breach had done nothing to discourage people from attending the festival, probably thanks to how quickly the whole situation had been handled. People had faith in the Atlas military and Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale to keep them safe if anything happened. And in Jaune Arc of course.
Something caught Neptune's eye as he walked and he slowed to a halt. It was a news stand manned by a hunched over old lady selling magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, gossip columns, and some tabloids. It was one of the latter that had grabbed his attention.
'Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee: just friends, or star crossed lovers?'
On the front of the trashy magazine was a picture of Weiss from one of her performances, dressed in a flowing white gown with a spotlight shining down on her, illuminating her in a circle of light in middle of a sea of darkness. Opposite was a picture of Jaune flying overhead on the back of Talon, engaging a flock of Nevermore at the battle of the Breach. His halberd was raised high in his hand, and though the picture was grainy Neptune could still see he was shouting a battle cry as he closed with the Grimm. He remembered all too well just how hard Jaune could hit with that weapon of his. It was like getting smacked by a speeding truck, just all focused onto the edge of a weapon. When Jaune hit something, he hit it.
"So what do you think young man?"
The old lady's voice drew Neptune out of his reverie and he turned to face the owner of the news stand. "Sorry, what? I was spacing out."
The lady grinned, displaying a remarkable lack of teeth in her mouth, and pointed at the tabloid he'd been staring at. "Those two. Think they're a thing?"
The huntsman in training smiled tightly. "Nah. I think they're just friends." Good friends. Really good friends. Which was why she'd just gotten wrapped up in her lesson. She'd show up. He was sure of it.
The old lady cackled. "Nah. You mark my words, they're fooling around. No way she goes to his hospital room just about every day to visit someone who's just a 'friend'. After he saved her ass like that I'm sure she was ready to throw herself at him. Can't say I blame her either. If I were thirty years younger... okay fine, fifty, I'd do much the same."
Neptune suddenly didn't want to hear anything else the old lady had to say. Without responding he turned on his heel and started making his way back to the café. He shook his head, as though trying to dispel the lady's words.
Really, why was he even worried? Weiss had chosen him, she'd said as much to him.
"Of course, things have changed since then haven't they?" Neptune thought to himself. Weiss had told him all about how Jaune had used to annoy and pester her, how she couldn't stand to be around him because of it. Of course she'd thought he'd been only interested in her money and her name. Neptune knew that hadn't been the case, but he hadn't said anything to her about it. Why hadn't he? Sure Jaune had told him not to, but Neptune could have informed her anyway. Had he been worried she'd leave him for the blonde? No, that wasn't the case. Jaune had gone out of his way to help Neptune, but he hadn't done it for bluenette. He'd done it for Weiss. He cared about Weiss deeply, despite the fact that she hadn't even liked him. The Hero of Vale wouldn't have wanted her to feel guilty or conflicted about how she'd treated him previously when she could just be happy with someone.
But now it was different. Weiss knew that Jaune had genuinely been interested in her and not just the perks of being with her, and he had saved her life in an insane act of bravery, all while singlehandedly turning back a Grimm invasion. That was bound to change anyone's perspective of a person, regardless of what they'd thought about them before.
Weiss had chosen Neptune, but what if she'd changed her mind?
"Neptune!"
The boy looked up from his ruminations and saw the distinctive white clad form of Weiss Schnee all but running to him. he smiled when he saw her, his heart lifting a bit. "I knew she'd make it," he lied to himself.
"Hey there Sn- erk, Weiss." She'd made it clear she didn't like it when he used Jaune's old nickname for her, and he could absolutely understand why. He hadn't realized Jaune had come up with it first, but when he used it on her it was like he was mocking the blonde hero, which was the last thing he wanted to do. "I was starting to wonder where you were." He smiled at her and hoped it looked more genuine than it felt.
The heiress came to a stop before him, eyes wide. "I'm so sorry! My lessons with Jaune went on for longer than I realized a-and I wasn't paying attention to the time or my scroll and-"
He placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her mid sentence. "It's cool Weiss, it's cool. You just got distracted, it happens."
She smiled softly at his acceptance of her apology and took the hand on her shoulder in her own, squeezing it lightly before letting go. Neptune couldn't help but think that a few weeks ago she would have kept hold of it. "All the same, I should have been paying attention. It wasn't fair to make you wait for so long without so much as a text in response."
He grinned. "Well you're here now. Should we go ahead and grab a table?"
The heiress nodded in agreement and the two stepped inside. It was a busy place with all the tourists in the city, but they managed to snag a table by the window looking out on the street. They settled in and a waitress took their orders before leaving the two of them alone. An awkward silence fell over the two of them as Neptune tried to think of something to talk about. This had been so easy before.
"So... how's training going for the Vytal festival?" he asked. That was a good topic, something they both had an interest in.
"It's going well. Ruby's been brainstorming team attack ideas all week. Some of them are... a bit ridiculous."
He laughed. "Tell me about it. Scarlet tried to come up with a team attack idea where I shoot his cutlass with my lightning gun, so he could hit an enemy with it and transfer the electricity."
"Did it work?"
"Nope. I'm lucky I didn't singe off one of his eyebrows. He might've killed me for it."
The two laughed and continued discussing their teams' antics. It was a nice conversation and some of the tension left the bluenette, but he couldn't help but think that Weiss was still more distant that she had been before, like something was drawing her attention away from the conversation. It got more pronounced when their food came and the conversation died off as they dug in. Weiss barely touched her food, staring out the window with a distant expression.
Neptune cleared his throat awkwardly. "Is... everything okay?"
She started, coming back to reality. She turned to face him. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I was just checking if you were okay. You've been a bit... distracted."
The snow haired girl smiled a bit. "Yes, I'm fine. I guess I've got a lot on my mind right now."
"You wanna talk about it?"
She shook her head. "No. It isn't something you can help with."
"Oh." He looked back at his meal. "Okay then."
"I- no I didn't mean it like that Neptune, I'm sorry." She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "I shouldn't have said it like that. I just meant... It's just something have to think on."
"Is it the Angel's Rose?"
She blinked, surprised by the sudden question. "That is part of it, yes. I haven't had time to really test it and what it does."
Neptune took a sip of his drink. "Do you think the fact that Jaune gave it to you has something to do with what it did that day?"
"You were the one that gave it to me, Neptune."
"Yeah, in the same way that a delivery boy brings flowers to a lady for someone else," he thought bitterly. The Angel's Rose, Neptune learning to dance, even him asking Weiss to the dance in the first place and starting their relationship. All because of Jaune. "Well technically, but... we both know it was really from him."
She looked away from him back out the window and nodded. "I suppose you're right."
Neptune bit back a sigh and waved the waitress over to pay for their meal. Weiss tried to protest and at least pay for her portion of the meal, but Neptune insisted he pay and eventually she acquiesced. With the meal paid for the two of them stood up and started heading to the nearest Bullhead dock to take them back to Beacon. They'd spent maybe an hour in the café, if that. The walk back was awkward between them. They both had things they needed to say to the other, and neither knew how to broach the topic that was hanging over both of them. They rode back to Beacon in silence, and were just as silent on the way to the dorms.
They stopped where the stone pathway branched off between the dorms for the regular students and where the visiting teams were staying. it was evening, and the sun was starting to set. "So..." Weiss said awkwardly. "Do we... separate here?"
Neptune shook his head. Despite how the date (if it could even be called that) had gone, he still considered himself a gentleman. "I'll walk you back to your dorm room. If that's okay with you."
She smiled softly. "Yes, yes it is." She glanced down at his hand and took it in her own. "Come on." The two walked hand in hand towards the regular dorms, but it wasn't like their shows of physical affection earlier in their relationship, where she would squeeze his hand tightly or wrap her arm around his, or have him put his arm around her shoulders when they'd gone to the movies. It lacked... intimacy. It was like she was just doing it because she felt like she had to.
When they reached team RWBY's door they came to a halt outside it and she let go of his hand. The heiress looked up at him and smiled weakly. "Thank you for dinner, Neptune." She looked away and sighed. "I'm sorry I was so distracted."
"It's all good. I'll uh... see you around." He stepped back and turned around, making his way to his dorm.
Weiss caught his sleeve and stopped him. "Neptune! I- you-," she clenched her eyes shut tightly. "You are a good person. You are charming, witty, suave, and cunning. I thought you were attractive from the moment I saw you." She opened her eyes and her gaze locked with his. This time her focus was fully on him. "Which is why I'm sorry that I haven't been giving our relationship the attention it deserves, that you deserve."
"Is it Jaune?" He asked bluntly. Normally he wouldn't have been so direct with that kind of question, but he didn't see any reason to beat around the bush anymore.
"Yes," she admitted, eyes locked with him. "Not the way you're thinking. At least not completely. Things have changed. I have changed, and in ways I don't fully understand. This isn't fair to you, and I understand if you're angry with me, but... I feel like it would be even crueler of me to pretend that I can keep this up with you. I would rather be honest with you now rather than hurt you more later."
He wouldn't pretend that he wasn't hurt by that, but maybe she was right. It was nicer than continuing to pretend you were into someone you weren't and just hurting them more later. He'd had plenty of relationships in the past. Pretty much all of them had just been a couple of dates and they had never really gone anywhere. Kind of like this one, but previously he had been the one to break it off, not the other way around. It gave him a new perspective on what break ups could be like if you weren't the one ready for the relationship to end.
Neptune nodded to her. "Jaune's a good guy. A really good guy. You'll be happy with him."
Weiss smiled tightly. "I never said I was going to pursue something with him."
Neptune smiled back. This one felt more genuine now that everything was out in the open. "No, but I know you're going to."
Weiss sighed and rubbed her arm. "I know I've already said it, but I really am sorry. You're a good person, and I had a lot of fun with you for awhile."
"No hard feelings. Honestly I feel like this is some kind of karma." He'd broken off things with girls who'd been more interested in him than he had been in them more than once. Maybe this was the universe's way of getting back at him for that. "You two are gonna be good together, and I'll be rooting for you in the Vytal festival." He grinned widely. "You know, unless you guys go up against us. Then all bets are off."
She laughed. "Likewise, Neptune."
Silence fell between them. The bluenette made to turn away and go back to his dorm until Weiss stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his midsection, hugging him tightly. "Thank you for understanding," she whispered.
He smiled and hugged her back, arms around her shoulders. "Of course Snow Angel," he teased. Neptune figured he'd earned that one, and judging by the way she laughed as they broke off the hug Weiss agreed. She stepped back and waved to him as he turned away, waving back over his shoulder as he made his way to his team's dorm.
He strolled back to the dorm as he hummed a tune under his breath, feeling strangely light on his feet. It was a relief to have it all out finally. He didn't resent Jaune for Weiss turning her affections onto him. Okay, he'd admit he was a bit jealous. It was only reasonable that he was, but Jaune was a good person. While Neptune didn't know him the best, he could tell he wasn't the kind of guy who would try and steal a girl from someone. It had just... happened.
He tapped his scroll against the door lock and it popped open, letting him inside. Neptune stepped in and shut the door. Scarlet and Sage were playing a game on their scrolls while Sun lounged on his bed reading a weapons magazine. He looked up as the door opened. "Hey man. How'd the date go?"
Neptune smiled. "We broke up."
Sun blinked and sat up as the his other two teammates paused their game to look at him. "Damn dude," Scarlet said sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I know you were pretty into her."
The huntsman in training shrugged and leaned against the door. "I was, and I still am, and she was into me too for awhile. Things just... changed."
"Jaune?" Sage asked, getting right to the point as usual.
The bluenette nodded. "Yeah. Don't be upset with the guy though. Jaune's cool, he wouldn't steal someone's girl. This was Weiss's choice."
Sun nodded empathetically. "Yeah, Jaune's a total bro. But still man, you okay? You can be honest with us."
Neptune smiled. He was so lucky to have these guys as teammates. "I'm not gonna pretend it doesn't sting, but I think I've seen this coming for a bit now. We ended things well, no hard feelings. We're still friends."
Sun laughed, tail wagging over his shoulder. "Well that's good. If you two were angry at each other it could make things awkward with me and Blake."
Neptune rolled his eyes. "Gee thanks oh noble team leader. The last thing I'd ever want to do is make Blake ignore you even harder."
The four boys laughed in good humor at the jab. The sound of it helped ease the lingering ache of the end of his relationship with Weiss. It was good to have guys around you that you could trust, come thick or thin.
Brillant Mors split the air with a hiss as Jaune cut. He stepped forward and thrust, driving the spearhead forward at his imaginary foe.
He was on the roof of the hospital thanks to Talon, the only space he could train with his halberd without someone telling him to stop for the sake of his health. he growled irritably and stepped back as he thrust again, putting distance between him and his imaginary foe. They could worry about him all they wanted, Jaune needed to feel Brillant Mors in his hand, he needed to train with his family's ancestral weapon. When Nathaniel and team CRDL returned the four boys would need to start training as squires immediately, and Jaune had let his own skills atrophy for too long. He needed to prepare himself for when he was out of the damned hospital and Team JNPR could properly train for the Vytal Festival Tournament.
And he needed to take his mind off of other things. One of the best ways to do that was by working himself to exhaustion and then passing out in his bed.
"Not exactly a healthy way to deal with your emotions," Talon pointed out.
"No one asked you," Jaune growled as he swung at his imaginary foe. He'd much rather have a pell or training bot to practice against, but he lacked either of those in Azure Memorial, so he'd make do
Talon huffed. "You humans and your over complicated mating rituals. You like her. She likes you. What more is there to discuss? If you had told Weiss you wanted her to stay, she would have. I'm sure of it. I've seen how she's begun to look at you."
"She's in a relationship with Neptune. On top of that I'm... kind of with Cinder."
"Kind of?"
"Well it's not like we've been on a date or anything yet." Mainly due to his being locked up in the hospital. "But she's attractive and interested in me, and I'm interested in her."
"But not as interested as you are in Weiss."
Jaune groaned and lowered his halberd. He walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down, legs dangling over the drop. "Fine. No not as interested as I am in Weiss. Is that what you want me to say? Why do you care anyway? You were all for me and Cinder starting something a week ago."
"That was before she nearly got you killed."
"Hey, I told you to lay off of her for that! The White Fang attack wasn't her fault."
"No, but if she'd had her aura up like she was supposed to you wouldn't have been almost killed shielding her. You almost died. Again."
Jaune sighed and shook his head. When it came to the blonde's safety Talon was completely irrational. But he could understand why. Talon's words about the pain of losing a rider came back to him. He'd lost Cailan, and he didn't want to lose Jaune too. "That's like blaming Weiss for the Dark Champion attacking me. It makes no sense."
"The difference is that the Dark Champion was nearly invulnerable to just about everything short of the purest manifestation of Light. Cinder was taken out by a bunch of hooligans in stupid costumes."
"She was hit by a truck, Talon."
"Yes, and she should have had her aura up."
Jaune groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That doesn't explain why you're suddenly team Weiss."
"Oh that's simple. Anyone who summons a massive suit of armor out of thin air to attack the people trying to kill you is prime relationship material for you in my book. When can I expect little white and blonde haired babies to spoil?"
Jaune blushed. "Shut up." He knew the Gryphon was teasing him, but there was also a core of honesty in what he was saying. Saving his life like that really had changed Talon's opinion of the heiress.
The squire closed his eyes and thought back to just a few hours ago, how he'd danced with her in his arms. They had been carefree, happy. She had been cool against him and he'd loved every second of how close they were. He hadn't even thought about Cinder or Neptune or anything else in that moment. He'd completely forgotten about his multiple near death experiences, about Salem, about everything that had been weighing down on him. Telling her that she needed to go was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He had wanted her to stay there in that little hospital room with him. He had wanted her to stay with him.
"There's more to it than just her saving your life."
Jaune's head snapped around to look at Talon as the Gryphon intruded in his thoughts. "What?"
"That day, when she summoned the Knight. Did you feel anything?"
"Relief that I wasn't about to die."
Talon snorted. "More than that you silly boy. Did you not feel the flow of power?"
Jaune frowned. "No. What are you talking about?"
"Weiss didn't simply summon the Knight. Something helped her do it, fueled her with power to create her summon."
"Your little heiress was drawing pure Light from an outside source."
Weiss stepped into Team RWBY's dorm and shut the door behind her with a sigh.
Her three teammates were inside. Ruby and Yang were playing a game on their scrolls as Blake read a book on her bed. The faunus looked up at the heiress and gave her a smile and a nod before returning to her book, exposed ears twitching idly.
"Hi Weiss!" Ruby shouted over her shoulder without looking away from the screen. "How was your date with Neptune?"
"Yeah, spill the deets!" Yang declared, also without taking her eyes off the screen.
The huntress in training closed her eyes and let out a breath. "We broke up."
That got everyone's attention. The sisters dropped their scrolls and whirled about to look at her as Blake looked up from her book with surprise.
"What happened?" Yang asked as she got to her feet. "Did he do something wrong?" She took Weiss by the shoulders and started looking her over. "Did he hurt you? If he tried something I will punch him right in the di-"
"It's fine!" Weiss said in an effort to cut Yang off before the blonde brawler got any ideas. If Yang thought Neptune had hurt her in some way she really would go after him. "It was my choice."
"Are you okay?" Blake asked as she set her book aside and stood up, making her way over to them as Ruby zipped up to Weiss's side.
"Yes," Weiss said. "I am okay. Things have just changed. I've changed." And in ways she didn't truly understand. "I no longer felt the things for Neptune that I had before, and it felt cruel to continue on as though everything was the same. We ended it on good terms though. We're still friends."
"Well that's good," Yang laughed. She threw an arm around Blake's shoulder, who struggled in vain to break free. "Blakey here might get upset if you two ended on a bad note and limited access to her favorite scratching post," the bombastic girl wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at her partner.
Blake's face turned scarlet and she pushed free of Yang's embrace. "You are such a wannabe matchmaker. Sun and I are just friends."
Yang laughed. "Is that why you took him to poetry slam night at your favorite coffee shop?"
Blake went from crimson to pale white in a second. "H-how did you know..."
"I didn't for sure, but I do now," the brawler said with a victorious grin.
As the two began to bicker Ruby took Weiss's arm and pulled her aside. The two sat down on Weiss's lower bunk. "Are you sure you're okay Weiss? I know you were really into him for awhile." The crimsonette was looking at her teammate with obvious concern, looking for any sign that Weiss was just putting on a brave face for them.
She smiled at her partner. It was hard to believe the two of them had been at complete odds at the start of the year. "Yes Ruby, I'm okay. Mostly. I have... some things I need to figure out, but I think I needed to do this."
"Is it because of Jaune?"
Weiss bit her lip thoughtfully. "Yes, but not in the way you're thinking. At least not completely." She really didn't want to hurt Ruby. She knew her team leader had a crush on him, but lying wouldn't help anyone. At least with it out in the open the two could handle and discuss it rather than beating around the bush.
"I thought it was. I think... I think you two would be nice together. At least you would be now." She giggled. "Not so much a couple months ago."
Weiss laughed too. "Yeah, but what about you Ruby? You've been interested in him much longer than I have. I wouldn't feel right getting in the way of that."
RWBY's team leader shook her head. "You won't be. I've been thinking a lot lately, and I don't think I'm going to bother with trying to date him. There's waaaay too much stuff going on there as it is."
"Ruby..."
"Really, it's okay Weiss," she said earnestly as she took her partner's hand and squeezed it. "I still like Jaune, I just don't think I like like him anymore. Maybe I never really did. Jaune was my first real friend here at Beacon, and one of the few guy friends I ever made. Maybe that made me think I was feeling something for him that I wasn't, or maybe I just stopped feeling it." She shrugged. "Either way, I'm not really interested in him like that anymore."
Weiss scanned Ruby's face for any sign of dishonesty. She was almost as bad at lying as Jaune was, but she didn't see any sign that her partner was being anything other than forthright. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want to hurt you Ruby."
Her leader beamed. "I know! That's why we're best buds! But... there's someone else you need to talk to. Someone who's definitely still into Jaune."
Weiss groaned and leaned back, flopping down on the bed as Ruby laid next to her. "Pyrrha. That's going to be..." difficult. Painful. Any number of other words. Pyrrha's feelings for Jaune certainly hadn't lessened any. If anything they had grown stronger. A pained expression crossed the heiress's face. "She... she loves him."
Ruby nodded. "Yeah, she does."
"I'm not even sure I'm romantically interested in him Ruby. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing."
"You are," the crimsonette said confidently. "You like him a lot. I can tell."
Weiss turned her head to look at her teammate. "Maybe I do." Or maybe it wasn't all just her own feelings. She had to have a talk with someone before she could answer that question for sure. Regardless of what wound up being the truth one thing was unavoidable. Weiss had a connection with Jaune, a strong one. She recalled the jealousy and anger that had flared up in her when Jaune had mentioned Cinder. It had been hers, that was undeniable. But much like a week ago when she had felt those emotions ignite in her at the thought of Cinder sleeping in a room next to Jaune in the hospital, it didn't feel like they were just her emotions. It was as though something else within her was encouraging that response. Not highjacking her emotions, but fueling them. It was the same as what she'd felt when she danced with Jaune earlier that day. She had enjoyed his warmth and wanted to keep close to him and dance, but something had intensified those emotions to the point that she had completely forgotten about everything else.
And she had a pretty good theory on just what was causing that.
That night the girls of Team RWBY crawled into their beds and settled in to sleep. Weiss lay awake, staring at the softly glowing Angel's Rose beside her bed. The very same Rose that Jaune had given her, albeit indirectly. The Rose that had burst into light when she'd seen Jaune in danger and felt the urge to protect him, to the point that she would have willingly killed the White Fang to do it.
The heiress closed her eyes as sleep overtook her. "Okay whoever you are. Let's talk."
When Weiss opened her eyes, she was no longer laying in her bed.
She was standing in an vast empty whiteness. There were no land marks of any kind to be seen, just endlessly open space.
"There you are," a now familiar voice said behind her. "I was wondering when we would get to talk properly."
Weiss turned to face the woman in her head.
She met the gaze of ice blue eyes set in a pale face. Long white hair flowed down her back, free of it's usual side ponytail. In place of her hairpiece a tiara of finely wrought silver with a sapphire set in the center rested upon her head. She was not dressed in the combat uniform Weiss usually wore. Rather she wore a flowing sleeveless white gown that stopped just above her ankles. She stood barefoot on the white nothingness surrounding them, slender arms clasped before her as she smiled beatifically at the heiress.
"Hello Weiss," the copy of herself said, "I am Amare, the spirit of the Relic of Love. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"This place is amazing," Sky Lark said breathlessly as he gazed at the engraving upon the wall.
Cardin simply nodded in agreement, unable to find the words to properly respond.
The five of them had been walking for what felt like hours within the mountain. This place was vast and empty, with massive hallways decorated with carvings along the walls that depicted great moments in the history of the Order. Nathaniel was as giddy as a child as he gave them rundown of each carved image.
"This is the battle of High Stones, where Knight Captain Osric led fifty men in a masterfully executed counter charge that shattered an entire battle front of the Grimm, opening the way for allied forces to pour into the breach and slaughter the Grimm wholesale."
He darted over to another one. "And this is the siege of Athenius, where Cailan's fame began to spread and he underwent his Ascension. Lady bless us, the entire history of the Order is carved into these walls!"
The engravings were very well preserved thanks to how long the mountain had been sealed, keeping outside elements and erosion from eating away at the masterworks on the walls. This place was as much a history book as it was a fortress.
And it was a fortress. Already the five of them had come across vast rooms filled with racks of weapons and armor, each holding enough equipment to arm and armor a few hundred people. And they were in immaculate condition too. Cardin had thought that time would have rusted away at them at least a bit, but no. They were as new and whole as they day they had been forged.
"The Gryphon Knights were master shapers of metal," Nathaniel had explained as they examined the racks of weapons before them. "Vaya passed secrets of metallurgy and smithing onto us that allowed us to create weapons and armor that would stand the test of time and would hold up to all but the mightiest blows. Everything you see here was made with that knowledge, that expertise."
Was that what Jaune had meant when he'd said what they found would change the world? No, Cardin didn't think so. There was something else here. Something for them specifically. But what?
The squire frowned as he examined the carving, looking for anything that might give them a clue as to where to go. This place was vast. They could spend days wandering aimlessly without something to follow.
Then he found it.
At the bottom of the carving, at around head height for the tall ginger, there was a sign. "Guys. Come look at this."
The four others gathered round as Nathaniel held his weapon up to better illuminate the picture.
"Is that..." Russel asked uncertainly.
"Yeah," Cardin confirmed. "It is."
It was the carven silhouette of an eagle, wings outstretched as it soared into the sky. It was an almost identical copy of the eagle emblazoned on his breastplate, but with one difference. The head was not pointed up to the sky like on his armor. Rather it was looking to the left from the perspective of the viewer. "It's a sign," Cardin said confidently. "Come on! We need to go this way!" He ran down the hall as the others followed, Nathaniel's Light illuminating the way for them and helping Cardin locate the image of his eagle. Every time the head of the great bird was pointed in the direction they needed to go.
After an hour of running that left the boys of CRDL breathing heavily, they reached their destination.
A massive stone double door, similar to the one that led into the mountain itself, was at the end of the hallway. It was flanked by two statues of Gryphon Knights clutching halberds in one hand, the other over their armored chests in silent salute. Upon the door itself was the engraved image of an eagle, an exact copy of Cardin's emblem.
"How do we open it?" Dove asked. "Is it the same as the entrance?" He looked at Nathaniel questioningly.
The knight rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Most likely. I just- Cardin?"
Cardin Winchester stepped forward, hand outstretched and eyes locked onto the eagle upon the mighty door. All background noise fell away as he approached it and placed his hand on the eagle.
There was a flash of light. The door began to slide open silently.
A hand on Cardin's shoulder brought him back to reality. He turned and saw Nathaniel standing behind him, hand on his shoulder and staring at him curiously. "How did you know to do that?"
"I... I don't know," he said honestly as he turned to face the door. "I just did."
Light, a soft yellow glow, shone through the widening gap as the double doors slid open and came to rest against the wall. It was gentle enough that the five were not blinded as they stepped inside and beheld what had been awaiting them for ten thousand years.
The space was vast and open with a raised area against the back wall led up to by steps.
Standing at the top of the raised platform was a sight that stole Cardin's ability to speak or stand. He fell to his knees, staring in disbelief as his brothers did the same. Nathaniel threw himself to the ground with a crash of armor, tears welling in his eyes.
She was clad in a simple cream shirt and flowing black skirt that went well below her knees with sandals about her feet, exactly what she had liked to wear when she worked in the garden at their old home. Ginger hair was done up in a bun on top of her head to keep it out of her face, a single loose strand framing her soft, motherly face. Indigo eyes gleamed with joy as she beheld the five of them and a gentle smile spread across her face.
Priscilla Winchester stepped down from the platform and strode over to them, her feet gliding across the floor as though they did not truly touch the ground.
"My sons, I have waited for you to arrive for so long."
