A/N: So, I'm finally back. Wow, these last few months have been hectic. I've been writing shorter pieces in between, but since I'm so invested in this fic in particular, I didn't want to come back to it until I was in the proper headspace to do so.
I think that it's finally time.
Unfortunately, that means that we do need to go through Volume 5 content now. I don't know about you, but I am not a fan of all the infodumps in this volume. So, get ready for quite a bit of new, cute content and lots of Renora backstory to break up the monotony of long-winded monologues.
*Also, side note- no Vol. 7 speculations in the reviews, please. I haven't seen the season yet, so I'd appreciate no spoilers/no asking of whether this story's plot is linked to that content. This fic was completely planned out by July 2019, so if you're wondering 'oh, how's this all going to tie in to what's happening right now' the answer is… who knows? Maybe once I finish watching V7 I'll have an answer for that, but for now, I don't. This fic is, as a reminder, concentrated on Vol. 4-6 content, after all.
Let me know what you think in the reviews!
What We Call Home
She was going to lose it.
Qrow waxed, "The City of Mistral…" His voice reverberated with the same nostalgic glow it had carried for the last thirty minutes, ever since they had left their lodgings. It echoed off the dimly-lit stone walls, the pathway illuminated only by the boxy, ornate lanterns posted every few metres along the sides of the ceiling, the lights casting multiple dancing shadows around them as they walked forward.
"Ugh, it's about time!" she scoffed instinctively. We've been in the tunnels forever! "Whose idea was it to walk again?"
Ruby and Jaune chuckled a step ahead of her, but Ren turned to look back at her, sensing her unease. Seeing how her brow was knitted, her mouth pressed in a grim line, his eyes softened. "Well, we did face many obstacles," he soothed, reaching back with his hand sneakily and holding it out.
Her lip wobbled, and she quickly reached out, gripping onto his like a lifeline. The boy squeezed her hand gently before releasing it again, avoiding the others' detection.
Ren knew.
He continued, "Broken airships, destroyed settlements... "
Jaune chimed in, "Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to murder us."
On his right, Ruby scoffed, "Pfft, we were fine." Nora's nose crinkled in amusement as she saw Ruby's knowing, mildly accusatory look at Qrow as she added, "Only one of us almost died."
Over his shoulder, Qrow retaliated, "Hey."
Nora rolled her eyes, propping her hands onto her hips and raising a brow at Ren. Only 'one' of us?
Sensing her gaze, the boy glanced back at her, smiling gently. "Hey," he murmured, a flash of guilt in his eyes quickly overtaken by gratitude.
The orange-haired girl giggled, feeling her expression soften for what felt like the first time during their whole trip through the tunnels. Ren had made it. The Nuckelavee was dead.
They were in Mistral at last, and they were finally together-together. Everything would be okay.
Everything will be okay. We'll be out of here soon enough. She breathed in deep, closing her eyes and centering herself for a moment. The dim corridors and dark tunnels of Mistral were always enough to put her body in fight-or-flight. Despite having been back to the city years after her childhood there, even smelling the mountain air was enough to send her into a mild, hidden panic. She hated it, but it was inevitable. It's okay, I'm almost out of here.
Jaune asked, "So, how much farther to Haven Academy?"
Qrow replied, "Almost there. But I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route." As he spoke those words, the group finally found themselves in front of two massive double doors, the thick wood only marked by two large, round brass handles. On the wall to their left was inscribed a small sign, barely legible in the darkness: Elevator UP to Haven Academy.
Grabbing both handles, Qrow flung the doors open, flooding the tunnel in blinding light.
Nora winced, feet glued to the ground for a moment. Ruby, on the other hand, was just a little bundle of excitement. The younger girl jogged exuberantly onto the platform of the lift, giggling as she finally reached the railing opposing the doorway.
Still, Nora didn't move for a moment. I… don't want to go out.
A gentle hand on her shoulder squeezed, and Ren's soft voice murmured in her ear, "We're almost there, Nora. Let's go."
Gritting her teeth, she nodded resolutely, following the others out onto the elevator platform without looking back.
As Ruby cooed over the splendour of the view, the rest of the group joined her at the edge of the platform. "This... is... awesome!" Ruby shrieked, jumping in the air.
Nora walked up to the younger girl's left, looking out into the distance. Ruby was right- from up here, the view was beautiful, indeed. The unique architecture that was so prevalent on Anima had originated in Mistral, after all- beautiful pagodas and palace-like structures sloped up the steep, mossy mountainsides of the city, filling every nook and cranny with tall, statuesque buildings, all white paint and earthy brown wood and red clay shingles. On the upper levels, where they stood, one could see the valleys extending as far at the eye could see, with the clouds peeking over distant hills giving space for rays of sunshine to light up sparkling waterfalls and winding, elaborate staircases.
Mistral, from up here, was indeed a beautiful city.
Qrow chuckled, "It's certainly something."
His niece, leaning over the railing to peer at the lower-level marketplaces, pointed down below. "Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!" she squealed.
The markets of Mistral were famous for their products and diversity- everyone from every walk of life could be found in one of the seven large Mistralian markets. If you needed anything, you could find someone along the lower levels to help you with it.
Nora chewed her lip as Qrow explained, "Vendors here'll sell you just about anything... whether they should or not."
Yeah. Yeah, they will. Quickly, she averted her eyes from the marketplace below, despite the bustle of the crowd and the calls of vendors sounding lively and bright from their elevator platform.
"They really made the most out of these mountains." Jaune whistled appreciatively.
"Every inch," the Huntsman replied warily. "Stay away from the lower levels."
I know. She knew full well what the lower levels, the slums, of Mistral were like.
She sighed shaking her head. She hadn't expected being back in the city to affect her like this. After all, it had been years since her life on the street, and she was so much stronger now.
She felt a light touch against the small of her back, and instantly, a wave of calm washed over her. To her left, she saw Ren show her a small, knowing smile. His right arm glowed pink as his Semblance flowed into Nora, and her negative emotions were soothed instantly.
The last time we were here, Kalian and Caelus almost set half the city on fire to protect me. No one's going to mess with us now. We'll be fine.
Qrow added, "The higher up you go, the nicer it gets."
She put on a wide smile, mustering up all her energy to announce, "And we are going up!"
The elevator ride itself was fairly peaceful. It was one of the few lifts that carried visitors all the way up to Haven Academy, which sat upon the highest peak in the heart of the city- and, with it being mid-summer, there were no students coming in and out of the school grounds, either. So, Nora was able to enjoy some quiet, keeping her eyes fixed on the horizon as the sounds of the markets faded away into the distance, replaced by the loving chatter between Qrow and Ruby.
It felt good to listen to the two of them banter like that, with Jaune's occasional quips breaking their circular conversations every once in a while. Despite the battle in Kuroyuri having raged less than a week earlier, the image of Qrow's helpless, deathly-pale expression was still burned into everyone's minds. And, while Nora still didn't trust him- he was still a Branwen, after all, and she still hadn't gotten the answers she wanted from him in regards to that factoid- she wanted Ruby to be happy. Ruby was her friend. Ruby deserved to have her uncle by her side.
It didn't mean that she had to enjoy being so close to the lower levels, though. Thank goodness our lodging house is pretty high up.
Finally, they exited the platform and walked through towering wooden gates, into the giant, enclosed campus of Haven Academy.
Nora looked around curiously, taking in the view. She had never been there before, so the cluster of black-roofed, white-walled, traditional Mistralian buildings was new to her. Just beyond the gates was a large, perfectly-manicured courtyard leading up to what looked to be the central building of the campus, the walkway lined with tall, sloping lanterns. Peeking out around every corner were low, sculpted trees, their branches thick and gnarled like arms poking behind each building.
She paused alongside the others, Qrow's slow, weary footsteps trailing behind. Over the edge of the central building stood Haven Tower, the CCTS' oddly-Valean design in sharp contrast with the silhouette of Haven's architecture.
She winced. It stung seeing the intact CCTS tower.
Ren paused at her side. "We'll make sure this one stays safe," he whispered, as if reading her mind.
She nodded. "We will."
After all, that was why they had come to Haven Academy in the first place- to protect the CCTS. To find Professor Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven, and to develop a countermeasure to the inevitable attack from Salem's forces.
To protect the Relic.
For Pyrrha.
With that, the group stepped forward again towards the central building.
Oddly enough, despite the lack of students around, the door was completely unlocked. "Hello?" Ruby called hesitantly. Qrow slipped ahead of them, walking down red, gold-trimmed rugs with hunched shoulders and hands tucked into his pockets. He said nothing, however, and the only sound in the hallways was the dull plodding of their footsteps.
Ruby tried again, cupping her hands around her mouth, voice nervous. "Hello?!"
Nora paused by her side. "Maybe try… louder?" she offered. She didn't know why it was so silent, either.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone here," Ren observed, puzzled.
Jaune offered, "Well, I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it."
Qrow shook his head from up ahead. "No, this isn't right," he said lowly. "Come on." With that, he broke into a nervous jog down the long corridor ahead.
"Wait for us!" Ruby cried, and the four of them hurried after the man after traded worried looks. Something was wrong.
After what felt like a maze of stairs and corridors and winding paths, the five of them finally reached a pair of wooden double doors. On the side of the hall read the nameplate Leonardo Lionheart: Headmaster. Qrow paused ahead of the rest of them, leaving them to linger behind. Nora tensed as the man pulled out his sword, spinning it deftly and extending the blade.
Something is really wrong here, Nora thought, watching the man lower his stance, ready to strike. Where was the headmaster? Weren't they supposed to meet him by the entrance?
"Get ready," Qrow growled, all business. "There could be trouble."
The quartet nodded and drew their own weapons. Nora squinted at the door, pointing Magnhild's grenade launcher at the double doors, ready to blast whoever could come their way.
Taking a deep breath, Qrow raised his foot and kicked the doors wide open… revealing a terrified man, his thick mane and beard of grey almost standing on end in shock as he took in the sight of the five armed fighters. The man opened his mouth, threw his hands in the air, and let out a pathetic scream.
Nora, Jaune and Ruby yelped as well. Who was this man?
Suddenly, Qrow fell backwards, off-balance after kicking the door open. Almost in response, the strange man's eyes rolled back into his head, his hand fell upon his heart, and he let out a warbled cry before collapsing on the ground as well.
Nora stared at the prone duo, dropping Magnhild's muzzle towards the ground. "What the heckie…?" she murmured, absolutely dumbfounded.
As Qrow pulled himself back together, sitting upright with a start, Ruby mumbled, "Uh, Professor Lionheart?"
With a cough, the man sat upright, glaring at Qrow as he came back to his senses. "Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!"
Qrow stood, his mouth set in a grim sneer. "Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"
That seemed to shock the man. "Huh?" He reached into his coat, pulling out a small pocket watch with trembling fingers. His eyes lit up in understanding as he read the time. "Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."
Qrow deflated. "You're joking."
The man finally pulled himself up to his feet, and Nora tucked her weapon away. As everyone else did the same, she asked the question which had been plaguing them throughout the trip. "Where is everybody?"
Almost as if he had finally caught sight of them for the first time, the man softened, his tone growing kind and welcoming. "Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned."
"Yes, sir," Ruby replied with a salute. "Ruby Rose."
Jaune, Nora and Ren introduced themselves similarly, eliciting a chuckle from the older man. "A pleasure to meet you all," he rumbled. "Leonardo Lionheart, at your service."
Lionheart, schmionheart, what kinda scaredy-cat are you? Nora scoffed, waiting for Qrow to kick things off.
Giving them all a little bow, the headmaster explained, "I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but-"
The other Huntsman leaned forward, stepping into Professor Lionheart's face. "What? Leo, you can't be serious," he hissed. "Who's guarding the Relic?"
Panicked, Professor Lionheart whispered, "Qrow, the children-"
"Already know," Qrow stated coldly, words rushing out in disbelief. "I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?"
It almost took a moment for the information to process in the headmaster's mind. "You... filled them in?" he breathed, glancing worriedly over the four former students waiting behind Qrow.
Nora glanced around. Everyone looked uneasy and confused. Putting on a wry air, she leaned over to Ruby, murmuring, "So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?"
The younger girl, who had been clutching her arm anxiously as she watched the exchange, giggled involuntarily at that. "Uncle Qrow," Ruby called, "can we… talk inside the office?"
At that, Qrow shoved a finger into Professor Lionheart's chest accusingly. "That's a good idea, Ruby," he stated lowly, pressing the other terrified Huntsman further back into the office so that the four of them could enter.
After a few moments of shuffling around, the headmaster had seated himself behind a wide mahogany desk at the far end of the room, allowing the former students to filter in. Qrow shut the door behind them all, muttering, "Settle in, kids."
Nora shrugged. The circular room was quite spacious, the high ceiling lined with books and trinkets and the warm afternoon light filtering through multiple windows lining the headmaster's side of the room giving it a homey glow. She spotted a small couch on the right side beside a coffee table, so she made a beeline there. This is gonna take a while. Might as well get comfy.
While Qrow remained standing in front of the man's desk, Jaune and Ruby flanking him on either side, Ren joined her on the couch, settling in beside her. She flashed him a quick grin before turning her attention back to the tense exchange in the center of the room.
Professor Lionheart took a few minutes to organize his thoughts. Finally, he sighed, "I have to say, Qrow, this all seems very reckless- even for you."
Qrow immediately quipped back angrily, "No, reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!"
"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!" The man stood from his chair, and even from where Nora was sitting, she could see how tightly his fists were clenched at his side. Quickly, the man hid them behind his back, taking a few breaths to calm down. "Vale wasn't the only Kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every Kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces, saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens... and then nothing."
His voice dropped to a whisper, his brow furrowed in frustration. "You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us."
He walked towards one of the many windows behind his desk, focusing on a point far in the distance. "Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know, and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Huntsmen- teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."
Ruby asked, "What do you mean?"
Leaning on the window, the man continued, "We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the Dust embargo, now it's the closing of borders." He pivoted back to face Qrow once more. "I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened some of his more unfortunate tendencies."
Nora frowned. James? Like… James Ironwood? What does he have to do with this all? I mean, yeah, the Dust embargo made it hard to get supplies, but-
Professor Lionheart sighed heavily. "And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."
"All the more reason we need the Huntsmen and Huntresses here!" Qrow insisted.
The two men glared at one another, the air practically crackling with tension.
Ruby snapped first, moving closer to the two of them. "Okay! Okay. Things are bad; they're bad. But we can figure this out," she soothed. "Why is the Spring Maiden so important?"
Deadpan, the headmaster muttered, "I thought you filled them in."
Qrow sneered, "Mostly filled in. Look, there's a lot to cover, okay?" As he spoke, he pulled his flask out of his jacket, taking a quick drink. "I quit teaching for a reason."
Nora wrinkled her nose in disgust. The last time she had seen him drink from that flask had been that night around the campfire. It had only been about a week earlier, but… it was hard to dissociate the look of that flask in his hands with the sound of her heart falling apart, learning the truth about Pyrrha.
That seemed to cool some of the anger bubbling in the air. Professor Lionheart took a seat at his desk once more, rubbing his temples. "The four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and they are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics," he explained quietly.
"What?" Jaune scoffed.
Qrow pulled the flask away from his lips, staring at the floor bitterly. "The Relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific Maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice and Spring for Knowledge." He took another swig. "Spring is the problem."
At her side, Ren asked, "What happened to her?"
The headmaster smiled, thin-lipped, tired. "She was determined, at first, when she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She... ran. Abandoned her training- everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now."
"I... know." Qrow finally tucked his flask away. "At least... I have a pretty good idea."
The other Huntsman stood up, eyes wide with shock and hope. "Are you serious?"
Qrow mumbled, "It's not exactly good news."
Professor Lionheart walked around the desk, all of the animosity and weariness melting away. Delighted, he cried, "What are you talking about? This is incredible news!" He grabbed onto Qrow by the shoulders, shaking him joyfully. "After all these years! Where?!"
Without missing a beat, Qrow shoved the man away from him, walking towards Ruby. "I did some digging around. Looks like, after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits- specifically the Branwen tribe."
"Raven," Professor Lionheart muttered, hunching over again.
Ruby gasped, while Jaune queried, "Yang's mom?"
Nora's heart began to race in her chest. The… the Branwen tribe? Are we going to have to go find the Spring Maiden there? She glared at Qrow. So you are part of them.
Ren reached over, covering her hand with his own. She paused, searching his expression- but all he did was shake his head silently before returning his attention to the debacle at hand.
Equal amounts of dread and anticipation began to bubble in her gut. I know it's not time for that fight, Ren. But… if we're going to hunt down the Branwens, we need to find Howl and Kalian and Caelus first. They're not missing this.
But as Qrow replied in confirmation, Nora's heart grew uneasy again. Yang's mother? Did that mean that Yang was technically part of the tribe? Did that mean that Qrow was an important part of the tribe, too?
She glanced at Ruby. Are… are you involved, too?
She didn't want to think of what that meant.
Before she could ponder further, Qrow wandered over to the projection screen input on the headmaster's desk, plopping his Scroll on top. In a few clicks, a holographic map was projected above the Scroll, displaying a world map of Remnant.
Qrow clicked the Scroll, then crossed his arms as a section of Anima was expanded in greater detail. "That's about where they've set up their main camp," he said dryly. "It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe, and I'm sure when the Spring Maiden showed up, it only made things easier."
Nora's heart grew cold. That camp… was just northwest of Kuroyuri. They had been a mere stone's throw away from the Branwen Tribe.
After examining the map, Professor Lionheart walked over, patting Qrow on the shoulder. "Well, Qrow, I've got to hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."
"A few weeks?" Qrow repeated incredulously.
With a few taps to his computer, the hologram vanished, and the professor walked back to sit behind his desk. "That's right."
"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me," Qrow said, voice dark and barely restrained. "My sister has the Spring Maiden, and I know where she is." He placed his hands on the desk, glaring down into the headmaster's face. "We need to go, as soon as possible!"
To his credit, the headmaster only flinched when Qrow knocked off everything on his desk. Clearing his throat, he said authoritatively, "And perhaps you didn't hear me. This Kingdom is in shambles. 'As soon as possible' does not mean tomorrow. It means, as soon as I can convince the council that I need Huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of priorities when the threat of war is just on the horizon."
"Then damn the council. We'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained Huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly pushovers."
Nora grinned, jumping up off the couch. "Yeah!" I'm not missing a hunt of the Branwen Tribe. Not after everything.
Much less enthused at the prospect, Ren stood. "Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?" he suggested softly.
She frowned, but he cast a stern look towards her out of the corner of his eye, and she sighed, nodding.
Qrow continued, "We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible. And Raven isn't going to give up her most prized possession without a fight."
The headmaster sighed. "Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched. And I'm not the fighter I used to be. No offense, but these students and I can't take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail, Raven and her tribe will scatter. And we'll be lost." Raising one finger, he stated firmly, "We get one shot at this. And it needs to be perfect."
They stared one another down for a few breaths, until finally, Qrow let out a world-weary sigh. Dryly, he commented, "You know, Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here."
"Perhaps you're right. But he's not." Professor Lionheart glanced down at the table, brows knitting into an almost guilty expression. "I'm doing the very best I can."
"There has to be something we can do," Ruby insisted, growing frustrated.
Jaune finally stepped forward, and Nora's eyes fell onto his figure worriedly. Although he seemed fine, she could hear the tremor in his voice as he pried, "What about Cinder? She came with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?"
Quietly, the Huntsman replied, "We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries."
Nora's eyes jumped back to Jaune, her heart falling to the floor as she saw his fists tighten so much that she could hear the squeaking of the leather in his gloves. Although he hadn't said as much throughout their journey, she knew- a part of Jaune had agreed to this whole journey in the order to find Cinder.
If Haven had no leads, who could lead them to her?
Wearily, Qrow stepped back. He had had enough. "Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo."
"I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help."
Nora stood as Qrow shifted towards the door. Gaggling behind Ruby, she watched quietly as Qrow rolled his eyes, his voice losing its bitter edge for a moment. "Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being." The man took out his Scroll, waggling it playfully at the headmaster. "Local comms are still up. Keep in touch." Gesturing towards everyone else, he called, "Come on, kids."
Wordlessly, they all began to file out of the room, each person quietly going over the info they had just learned in their minds. It was a lot to take in, but either way, as Nora followed the others down the hall, it was clear that they all shared one singular sentiment.
Something is not right here.