I am back. With coughs I am wrack. On writing I cannot slack.

Enough bad rhyming. Let's go.

Cover Art: Z-ComiX

Chapter 115

Ruby was dragged into Yang's chest and almost smothered to death. Her own arms wrapped around her sister and clung on for dear life, tears unshed finally slipping free. For Cinder, for her life at the Collegium, for everyone who had suffered and just for the relief of seeing Yang once again.

"I thought I'd lost you." Yang whispered into her hair. Ruby didn't have the heart to tell her she very nearly had. If any one thing had gone wrong with Glynda, the Sanctum and the aftermath then she'd have been killed. It wasn't right to put that on Yang, and now she didn't have to.

Never again, Ruby told herself. I'm going to be a proper sister this time.

"I want to leave." Ruby whispered into Yang's neck. "I want to go."

"We will. Away from here. Fuck Vale – fuck it! Mom and dad… they'd never want us to stay here with how it's become. They'd want us to be happy somewhere else."

Jaune cleared his throat, both to hint at an introduction but also with an edgeways gaze towards Qrow. The Arcanist stood out among them for being a part of the White Arcana. Ruby pushed away from Yang and waved Jaune down.

"This is Qrow – he was my mom's best friend even when she was a Wildmage. He's done nothing but help me. This is Blake, a surviving Arcanist from Menagerie, and this is my sister, Yang. Yang, Blake, this is Jaune – he's one of my best friends. And a huntsman."

Jaune offered a hand which, after a brief pause, Yang took. Ruby wasn't sure her sister expected him to draw the hand to his lips and kiss her fingers, however. "Charmed," he said with a handsome smile. "Any family of Ruby's is welcome to my home."

Eh? He never kissed my hand like that. Ruby eyed Jaune, wondering if her sister's charms had claimed another victim. From the way Yang blushed, she had to wonder if it wasn't the other way around as well. Or she was unused and embarrassed at someone doing that to her. They were Dredgers after all. Nobles would as soon drown them as touch them.

"Y-Yeah." Yang stammered and took her hand back, for a moment she looked unsure if she was allowed to wipe it on her pants or if that would be an insult. Ruby wasn't even sure herself. In the end, she let it hang limply at her side. "So, the whole Collegium is in uproar and the city has put them under siege. Care to explain that one, sis?"

"I, too, would appreciate the story," Qrow said. "I only left for a day and then this happened."

The telling was rushed. Ruby glossed over much of Cinder's sacrifice, not wanting to dredge up the grief that had yet to settle, but she made sure to cover the order of events with enough clarity for them to understand what was going on. Her entry to the Sanctum, Jaune's rescue, their flight with Adam and the use of the potion on Glynda to wipe her memories.

"Couldn't have happened to a better person." Blake snapped when she was done. "They used that on my father – on their own Grand Arcanist. She got what she deserved."

"I can't help but agree." Qrow said. "And now I'm half convinced Ozpin's death was staged by them. Not by Glynda – you can't fake that kind of pain – but by someone in the White."

"Really?" Ruby asked. "But Ozpin was a White Arcanist."

"He was White in name only. He was more like me. If Merlot made that offer to evacuate the civilians, Ozpin would have taken it. He might even have considered that at the time. Maybe it's why the White felt they had to remove him. There was obviously no Wildmage who did it, and believe you and me, Merlot did not have the power."

She could attest to where Merlot had been during the event as well. Glynda, too, but that didn't mean someone in the White Arcana couldn't have done it. They might have even wiped their memories of the event afterwards. There would be no better way to keep it secret.

"So, the White panicked, killed their Grand Arcanist and tried to set up a new one that better supported their goals." Jaune summarised. "They even killed the king so they could pressure the crown prince into supporting them, using the Grimm as an excuse. It would have all worked if not for Ruby being a Wildmage. Even if she was a normal Arcanist, Lady Goodwitch would have overpowered and forced the potion on her. No one would have known. I'd say their actions were reckless, but they really weren't. But for one variable they couldn't possibly have known, today would be their victory."

"It's always the unknown that ruins your plans." Qrow said. "Their mistake was in not preparing for that. This won't be the end of it, though. Even if the White are implicated, the Collegium will stand. Atlas will support it as well. If they find out what you did, Ruby, they will hunt you down."

"I know. That's why I'm leaving for Menagerie."

Yang made no effort to hide her relief, nor Blake her pleasure. Qrow didn't look overly surprised either – maybe they'd warned him of their plan. He nodded and said, "That's probably for the best. Disappear for a while, let their memories fade. I assume you'll be going with her?" he asked Jaune. "You're as much a target as she."

"You assume correctly, Lord Branwen. My family is dedicating resources to the reconstruction of Menagerie, and I shall go along to see them used well."

"I'm hardly a Lord-" Qrow paused. "Hmph, actually, I am a lord." He chuckled and drew his left hand out from his jacket to reveal his signet ring. "My estates aren't doing much good and I've no one to use them. Investing in Menagerie, you say? The Branwen family may have an interest there as well."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Then you'll come with us?"

"No." Her face fell. Disappointment swelled up. "Oi, enough of that. I mean I won't be going with you immediately." Qrow reached out to ruffle her hair with an exasperated grin. "I'm going to stick around here, keep an eye on the White Arcana and see what is decided about you. I'll be keeping in touch via messenger and keeping you abreast of things here. Once you're up on your feet or they calm down, I'll come visit."

Ruby wondered when that might happen or even if it would, if Qrow wasn't going to dedicate his whole life to covering for her out of some lost love for her mother. "Do you promise you'll come?"

"On the Branwen name."

"Like you care for that! Promise on mom's memory."

"Hah." Qrow smiled gently at her. "I promise on Summer's memory that I will come to visit you." Better. That meant he had to come, or mom would never forgive him. Qrow coughed to clear his throat and addressed the others in a more professional tone. "I'd best be off for now. There are still plenty of Arcanists trapped outside the Collegium walls, and I wouldn't put it past them to do something stupid. I suggest you leave sooner than later. Tonight, if possible. There are magical means of communication and orders can be passed through the walls if needs be."

"We'll be gone before dawn." Jaune said.

"Good. I need to go." Qrow rubbed Ruby's head one last time. "Worry not, I'll send a messenger as soon as I'm able. Keep yourself safe and don't trust any Arcanists. The White does not falter. Remember that. Be it here, Menagerie, now or ten years from now, they will not forget, and they will not let you be."

"Then I'll be waiting." Ruby said simply. "I'll fight them back."

"We." Yang said.

"Agreed." Jaune added, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "But let us take Lord Branwen's advice and lessen the chances of that happening. I will speak with my mother and sisters to expedite the process. I suggest the rest of you take what rest you can. Sleep the day away if you can, for we'll be travelling the night."

/-/

Rest didn't come easy despite Jaune's words. It was the middle of the day and she had slept the night away, the same held true for Yang and Blake. What did come easily was Yang accepting the fruit of the Arc's pantry, wolfing down a hearty meal with so much viciousness the maids feared for their hands.

"So great was Yang's concern for Lady Rose that she forgot to eat all yesterday," Blake said to excuse her, Yang mumbling a response no one could make out. "Please forgive her manners."

"O-Of course my lady. Concern for one's liege is admirable."

"Mm. Yeah. Concern." Yang stuffed a chicken thigh between her teeth and tore at the flesh. "Loyalty. Mm. So good! Ruby, is this what you ate all the time? No wonder you're so fat!"

Fat was subjective in this case. Ruby was still considered lean by the standards of a lot of noble families, but for someone who lives in the slums lean was when ribs poked through your skin and your cheeks hung slack on your face. Times had been easier for Yang since moving up to the Merchant's Quarter, but that didn't mean she ate food this well prepared. When the maids dispersed to fetch Yang more food, Ruby turned to Blake and asked, "Do we get any say on how Menagerie will be rebuilt?"

Blake paused with a spoonful of leak soup to her lips. The faunus sipped at it, set her spoon down and said, "A lot of Menagerie is still structurally sound. It was the people who were killed, not the buildings. I think it will be easier to repair then rebuild. Why?"

"I'm thinking about the people and the Collegium," Ruby said. "Will we follow the same rules as Vale?"

"No. For one, I refuse to let the White Arcana have a foothold there."

That went without saying. What also went unsaid was that Blake would be the Grand Arcanist. In terms of power, Ruby had her beaten by a long margin, but the other Collegiums would be driven to all-out war if a Wildmage took over. Besides, Menagerie was Blake's home and she was the only one who knew how it had been run.

"Will it only accept nobles?"

"Ah, you mean the way it's run. We're free to make of those what we wish."

"I want it to accept everyone."

"Then we shall." Blake accepted easily. She picked up a goblet of wine and took a short sip, then glanced to Yang. The blonde wasn't interested in the conversation and it showed. "There won't be many noble families in Menagerie when we start rebuilding anyway. We'll have to accept anyone and everyone who has the talent. After? Well, we can keep it open to such, but that might mean we need to expand at some point. Maybe not in our lifetime, but later."

Not in their lifetime. Wow. Ruby had known this would be a long venture, but it was only just starting to dawn on her how long. They would need to rebuild, farm food, create the Collegium and then invite Initiates. Even then, it took most Initiates a few years to graduate into proper Arcanists. In ten years' time, they might only be welcoming the first wave of new Arcanists. It could be thirty or forty before Menagerie was well and truly back on its feet.

Was that a bad thing? She'd been rushing around everywhere of late, fighting to keep to impossible time frames, stop the Grimm, save Jaune, rescue Adam and Cinder, figure out what Glynda was doing. Everything had been a rush. Maybe it was time to slow down.

"We'll start with the Collegium." Blake said. Her lips quirked into a small smile and a whimsical note came to her words. "The city is too large to try and work from at first, but the Collegium is like Vale's – smaller, and with its own defensive wall. We'll invite everyone inside, magical or not, and work from there to grow food, repair homes and make sure everyone is safe and secure."

Start small. Grow from there. Ruby found herself nodding. "It'll be our own little castle. We'll need to clear the roads so we can send people out hunting or gathering wood."

"The ocean is nearby. We'll fish for food and farm vegetables. For wood, we can take it from abandoned homes until we're stable. Stone as well. Once the roads are clear, we can start trading with nearby villages. There might be some refugees from Menagerie who settled there that would be willing to come back."

It wouldn't all be that easy, but the fact it sounded possible at all meant something. Ruby relaxed into the conversation, letting Blake's mounting excitement wash over her as the faunus went on and on about her plans, her dreams, her ambitions. The Shadow Arcana would be rebuilt, the White forbidden, Wildmages would be welcomed and trained to control their powers and a section of the city would be set aside for them to vent their surges in safety. Rather than one Arcana having all the power, future Grand Arcanists would be determined by a blind ballot of each Arcana.

"I might even say we can learn more than two Arcana. That would draw a lot of people to come and settle with us. Though it might be too many. I'm not sure we could handle that kind of influx, and there could be spies among them."

"Stick to two for now," Ruby said. "Expand later."

"Yes. Slow and steady. I…" Blake paused to laugh. "I'm getting ahead of myself. I have so many ideas, so many things I want to do. It's exciting. I never thought… even though I dreamed and hoped, I never thought we would actually go back and rebuild. It was just something I told myself to keep my spirits up."

Like her and Yang telling themselves they'd get out of the slums one day. They'd also not thought that possible, and it wouldn't have been without Blake coming and tricking her into accepting the Arcanum. Without that, she and Yang might have drowned with the others.

I'll make sure there isn't a slum in Menagerie. Even the poorest will be able to fish the water and bring home enough food to feed a whole family. And no families would be torn apart like the Malneux had. No one would need fear their daughter being stolen away, their memories of her altered. No more Arcanists being above reproach. No more mystery.

The door to the dining hall slammed open.

"We're leaving now!" Jaune barked. Adam was beside him, already dressed and with his stolen sword and a pack on his back. They were both of them agitated. "Goodwitch is dead. Murdered."

Ruby gasped. "By whom?"

"You." Jaune continued as Ruby's mouth fell agape. "Or so they are claiming. The Collegium has officially surrendered pending an investigation into Lady Goodwitch's actions – and that means there's no excuse to keep them under siege anymore. They're free to leave the Collegium."

Which meant they were free to come after her. Shit. Yang swore along with Ruby's thoughts, downed her last bite of meat and chased it with a full goblet of wine. "Done!" she said, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Are they here now? What's happening?"

"A contingent are speaking with my mother. The second the Collegium surrendered, they were over here. They know," he spat. "I'm not sure if it's a traitor amongst our own or they were watching us come here. Or perhaps it was just the obvious destination. Whatever the case, they are making loud of my condition, my illness, and Ruby's supposed crimes against the Collegium."

Ruby jumped up and followed Jaune as he swept out the room with Adam in tow. Blake and Yang chased after, their pace a fast clip down ornate halls and past numerous guards standing unnaturally tense.

"Mother is delaying them," he explained. "The guards have orders to prevent any entry. Jade, Hazel and Saphron are already preparing the horses. We're going to leave before they can think to close the gates."

"Can they really force your mom to give us up?" Yang asked.

"They cannot. What they can do is essentially make us prisoners here, however. They won't dare encroach on our land considering the current allegations, but they wouldn't think twice of attacking us once we leave it. They might tonight," he admitted, "But it's now or never. If we don't leave today, we'll not get another chance."

The sun had just started to set outside, casting long orange shadows across the city. The stable yards of the Arc mansion were illuminated by flickering torchlight and gently swinging lanterns. A set of wooden wagons had been prepared ahead of time, barrels, crates and sacks tied down securely by thick ropes on the backs, but no horses tethered yet to the front. That was looking to change as servants and stable hands led powerful draft horses to the fore and gently secured them by their harnesses. The horses stamped at the floor or munched on grain sacks secured before their mouths, each of them well-fed and brushed. These were not the kinds of horses they'd seen ploughing out in the farmlands.

Three girls approached as they arrived, each with the golden hair distinctive of Jaune's family. Two of them were so alike as to be twins, dressed in tight-fitting leather pants, knee-high riding boots and jerkins, with thick cloaks dyed blue slung over their shoulders. Their hair was cut short to their shoulders, boyish and rough. The last was more what Ruby had come to expect of noble ladies, wearing a pale blue dress split down the centre for riding, boots beneath, but otherwise having a petite face, a button of a nose and expressive green eyes. Her hair was long, tied into a thin braid that ran down her back.

The older one moved forward to embrace her brother and whisper a few words, while the twins joked and pulled at his arms. Jaune quickly shook his head. "We don't have time. The Collegium are here looking for us. Are the horses ready?"

"They've been ready all afternoon," one of the twins said. "We're just securing them now. The supplies are good to go. More food, seeds and medicine than building materials. Mom has said they'll take longer to commission and can be sent separately."

"That's fine. Perfect even. Saphron," he turned to the elder. "Are you sure you want to come?"

"I'm tired of the parties and suitors. It's this or I lock myself away in a tower and never come out."

It was clear Jaune wanted to argue and just as clear they didn't have the time. The twins moved past them quickly and took up onto one of the wagons. Armoured men and women, loyal guards of the House and hopefully the volunteers Juniper promised, took to the others, some taking reins and others hunching in the back with the supplies.

Jaune moved to the fifth wagon, one designed to carry people and not supplies. It was longer, with a segment designed as a box with a roof and a window. Not the elegant parade carriages for showing off, but a functional resting area for the nobles to sleep while the guards set up camp around. He paused and waved for them to come. "Your faces are known," he said. "Our faces. It's best for everyone we stay out of view."

"They'll be expecting us to run." Blake said. "This won't fool them."

"We should make the effort regardless. If worst comes to worst, we fight, but let's not seek it out."

There was no arguing with that, and they huddled into the spacious interior. Benches with cushions pinned down stood inside, along with two bed areas and plenty more cushions for people to sleep on the floor. An armoire and a tall wardrobe were constructed into one wall, while a window was shuttered opposite, the thick royal purple curtains drawn and twined shut by golden thread. As soon as they were inside, someone ahead called the signal and reins cracked. Slowly, the sound of wooden wheels beginning to turn on gravel reached them, the wagons drawing in ahead and behind into a column with their own at the centre.

"I can't believe the Collegium surrendered so quickly." Yang said. "You'd think they'd have tried to hold out for a bit."

"They want Jaune and Ruby." Blake answered. "With Glynda dead, they can just blame her for everything they did, but they have to know Ruby could tell the truth otherwise. Jaune can expose their secrets as well."

"They want them enough to give up and let their power be eroded by the nobles?"

"They can regain their authority in time. They can rebuild their reputation. We haven't prevented the Collegium slowly taking over the city, we've just delayed it. Give it fifty years and this'll all start again."

"This'll be further proof of the danger of Wildmages in their eyes." Adam said. "Never mind that they brought Cinder's rampage on themselves."

"A self-fulfilling prophecy." Jaune agreed. "I'd laugh at the irony if it wasn't our lives in danger. This is something you'll want to prevent in Menagerie," he said to Blake. "Laws are necessary, but they can breed dissent."

"I know. We'll have to have some way of dealing with Arcanists who want to use their powers to hurt people, but it won't be a Sanctum. That's torture. We'll punish, educate and banish people if needs be. If the crimes are truly heinous, we'll consider harsher penalties, but no one will be robbed of their power and left to rot, least of all as a child."

"And huntsmen?"

"Let them come and live in Menagerie if they wish but let them live as citizens. If they want to fight, we'll hire and pay them to be guards. There won't be any enslaving in Menagerie, however."

Jaune nodded, satisfied. He'd known it would be that way, but having Blake say it out loud cemented it. A noble's word was their bond, or at least it was close enough to one that Blake's reputation would be sullied if she broke it. Ruby doubted it would ever come to that.

Their caravan train rumbled on out of the Arc mansion and into the Upper Quarter, down streets and toward the gates. More guards on horses flanked them, catching up from the Arc household – further reinforcements to see them out the gates and away. Lady Arc wasn't taking any chances and Ruby couldn't blame her.

No sign of the Collegium yet. Maybe they'll let us go. We're a huge problem for them if we stay, but maybe they're fine as long as we're out of their hair. Menagerie might as well be on the other side of the world.

The merchant's gate gave way before them, open to the ramp leading from the merchant's quarter to the main trade roads. They avoided the slums entirely, avoided a last chance to say goodbye that Ruby honestly wasn't sure she wanted. The slums were silent now, quiet and still as a graveyard. There was nothing left to say goodbye to.

"We're out the city, Lord Arc." a soldier passing by the shuttered window spoke through. "No one has challenged us yet."

"Do you think they shall let us go?" Jaune asked through the curtain.

"I do not feel my guard lessening, my lord. The opposite. We are away from the walls, away from the manor, away from consequence. Who can say what would befall us out here, or who could be blamed for such a tragedy?"

"Is it your instincts that warn you, sir?"

"Aye, my lord. Those of me and my men."

Jaune exchanged wary looks with them, then replied, "Then let us keep our wits about us. We have two Arcanists within this caravan. Should it come to it, we shall aid in battle."

"As you say, my lord. Let us hope it does not come to that. My instincts have been known to be wrong."

They were not. Ruby's eyes snapped open.

"I sense magic!" she shouted. "Incoming!"

The world above them was bathed in sudden orange, as an arching trail of fiery light trailed up into the sky, arched and then came rushing down toward their caravan. Horses screeched, soldiers shouted out in warning, and Jaune kicked the door open, rushing out with the rest of them in time to see the attack come rushing in. Ruby flung her hands into the air, shouted in rage and willed the fire to be torn asunder.

A powerful gust of air struck from the left, so strong that it bent the branches and tree trunks. The fiery balls were either snuffed out or cast aside, forced off course enough to crash down beside the road. Close enough to shower them with embers and have the horses rearing and screeching, but not enough to have killed anyone.

"To positions!" the knight they had been speaking to roared out. "Take the ladies inside! Hold your ground – their magics cannot harm us here. Tight formation!"

While the draft horses shied and whickered, the hardened mounts of the soldiers allowed themselves to be drawn back. They tossed their heads and snorted, casting gouts of steam out into the chill air. Those closest to the fires stamped their hooves, but soon the caravans were surrounded by a tight ring of steel, lances and shields.

"In the name of House Arc!" the knight shouted. "I command thee show thyselves! Know that your attack will be taken as an act of attempted murder by the Collegium of Magic unto the honourable House Arc if you do not."

Ruby saw them first. The white cloaks. It wasn't even a surprise by that point, more a bitter amusement, as Arcanists on foot stepped from the trees on either side of the road. Ten, twenty, thirty or more. Some wore red as well as white, but not a one didn't sport it in one way or another.

"Arcanists!" the knight spat with just as much vitriol as she felt. "Explain yourselves! You dare attack House Arc? Lady Arc will see you executed for this."

"You have with you dangerous persons who must be returned to the Collegium," the apparent leader said. It was a man with his hood up, his features as homogonous as any of the others. "Failure to surrender them to us will force our hand. For the safety of Vale, for the safety of the Collegium, for the safety of-"

"For your own lies and profit." Ruby shouted back. "It's me!" She threw her hood back and brought one hand up into the air. If they had though their ambush impressive, she wondered what they thought of the literal sun forming ten feet above her. The heat from which caused her skin to prickle. "I'm done with you. I'm done with Vale, I'm done with the Collegium and I'm bloody well done with the White Arcana!"

"Lady Ruby Rose, White Arcana. You are charged with aiding Lord Merlot, performing forbidden magics and the murder of Grand Arcanist Goodwitch-"

"That was never officiated." Jaune said.

"Your crimes are noted, your sentence granted in absentia. You have been found guilty of all charges, and your punishment has been declared. You are to be brought back to the nearest Sanctum or, should that be impossible, killed to protect all good folk."

"They're not listening." Yang hissed.

"They never do." Ruby lamented. "They never do. The White does not falter – even when they know they're in the wrong. They wouldn't falter slitting the throat of a newborn child!"

Jaune tore his sword free and brandished it. "They'll falter with three feet of steel through their chest. I am not going back. I will never go back."

"Nor I." Adam ground out. "I will return home or I will die. Nothing less."

"I'll fight their magic." Ruby promised Jaune and the knight-commander. "I'll try and keep everyone safe."

"Men!" the knight raised his lance. The others followed suit. "For House Arc, for Lady Arc, for glory and vengeance."

He swept the lance down and kicked his heels into his horse's side.

"Charge!"

The White doesn't falter. Cannot. They'll literally pick a war in the name of their so-called ideals. It's a stupid kind of stubbornness, but one their entire order is founded upon.

Next Chapter: 16th January

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur