A/N: Hi everyone. Thank you all for the reviews and for reading. I think I will be sticking with shorter but more frequent updates for this story.
-Hofund- You bring up a good point. and I agree to an extent. I just figured that the difference between a Huntress/huntsmen and a civilian is enough that they knew they would be outmatched. Asher's semblance is pretty flashy. Picking up the winds like that has to be unsettling for anyone especially considering is that most maidens show off their abilities in the same manner (using the wind).
-Firealis- Thank you for your review. I really can't respond too much given that it would ruin the fun of some of the topics you brought up. And thank you for the compliments.
-LifeisBeautiful- I am glad you are still reading and you are still enjoying the story.
-Artesys- My only hope is that you the readers don't hate Roux. I can't say how Roux and Oriole's friendship ends up (well I can, but that is spoilers). I am glad you liked Asher's and Shiloh's banter. I love these two. As far as how the group turns around, hmm. I have a few ideas.
Jay could be a remarkably patient young man. He had been trained his whole life to listen to complaints no matter how irrational and respond like the king he was supposed to. He tried to draw on that training. He took a deep breath and released it, calmly. It took him long enough to get an audience with the religious leader, he couldn't blow it by raising his voice. He had to go through the frivolous greetings and court speak to get to what he was truly after. He looked at the elderly man in front of him, "So she was here? My sister." He curled his hands to fists.
The elderly man nodded, trying to straighten his robes. It did nothing to make his disheveled and dirty appearance better. Jay didn't mind; he looked just as bad after traveling as far as he had. "She was with another woman with a shaved head."
"Was she injured?" Jay asked, unfurling his fists. He tried to appear less aggressive, more willing to communicate. He relaxed his tense posture and softened his stern face.
"Not that I could see," the elderly man responded, "I saw her before the Grimm attack." The older man looked at the crumbling walls of what once had been a beautiful cathedral.
Jay gave the man a sympathetic look. He saw the bodies being lined in the streets and the ruins of what was once a great city. He couldn't imagine what the other was going through. "She may still be in the area then. I understand it isn't proper to have another sovereign uninvited, but may I request that my party and I rest here for the night?" Jay asked with a short bow, "I will be in your debt."
The elderly man looked at the young man with a look of uncertainty. Jay knew his bow was lower than what he was supposed to give the man, but he didn't let that stop him. "I will allow it only because I have a larger request for Dale. I know I have no right to ask for aide, given the tense relationship between Nullah and Dale, Your Highness." The older man bowed to the prince. "My people have been slaughtered and any grain we have stored for the coming winter has been trampled by the Grimm."
Jay put a hand on the elderly man's shoulder. "Stand straight. It will not fill your people with confidence to see their leader bowing to another's sovereign. I will send word to my father about the plight here in Nullah. I can't promise aide, but I will do everything in my power to help," he answered.
The older man looked up at the taller man with gratitude. "I thank you for your kindness." Jay smiled back at the man. He couldn't believe that he reached out to the other man, but Nullah was Tayna's home and he couldn't leave its people to suffer. He shook his head; his small party had really changed him. "Your Highness, I pray that you find your sister unharmed," the elderly man held his hands together in a praylike fashion. "I pray that her new found Faunus friend is truly a good person as she had claimed."
Jay narrowed his blue eyes. "Faunus? What did Oriole say about a Faunus?" he asked. "The two were friends?"
"Her highness seemed unsure of their friendship, but it was clear that she thought on her part they were friends," the older man explained.
"Do you believe that this Faunus would help Oriole?" Jay asked hopeful. "Could they return her back to Dale?" A warmth grew in his heart. Of course, Oriole would be able to charm her enemy to her side. His sister was kind and gentle like that.
"I do not put much faith in the goodness of Faunus," the elderly man said with disgust barely concealed on his face. "But Dale is as close to a friend that Faunus have."
Jay breathed a sigh of relief. "You have my gratitude. I must tell my party about our accommodations." The two said farewell and separated to their own tasks.
Jay tried not to appear too enthusiastic. Although he received good news, the city was still in ruins. He walked past the corpses in the streets. He gave them the smallest of glances, but he already searched them when he entered the city. His sister wasn't among them. Their deaths were tragic, but the small sorrow he felt for them was engulfed by the hope that he was finally catching up to his wayward sister. His eyes caught sight of a woman picking up cloaks from the ground in front of her destroyed market stall. He probably should pick one up for Tanya. She was so uncomfortable to come into the city. Maybe she would be more comfortable with a cloak with a deep cowl. He changed direction to the destroyed stall. "May I have the largest cloak you have?" The woman looked up at him.
"Of course, sir," She looked over her wares with a furrowed brow. The stall owner held up a red cloak to the prince. The prince feeling generous gave the woman two gold coins from his money pouch. He felt lucky that it hadn't been swept away in the river. "This is too much, sir."
"Use it to rebuild your stall," he replied, taking the red cloth from the woman. She gave a grateful bow and Jay left the woman behind. He held the cloak close to the chest as he past the walls of the city. He stood still as he searched for his party.
There was a circle of people standing in the grass. Jay could recognize the purple of Shiloh's poncho and the green of Robin's hood. He jogged to the group. He past a handful of grumbling citizens, but he didn't listen to the words they were saying. "Ivy," he called out to the woman who was facing his direction.
The woman's soft features smiled tiredly. "Jay," she greeted as the prince stopped in front of the group. Shiloh padded quietly to stand at Jay's side.
She put a hand on his arm. She leaned in close to softly whisper, "Do not react too harshly, your highness. I implore you." The blind girl stepped back, giving the prince a pleading look. Jay looked at the faces of the other's in his party. Robin wasn't glaring but the face he was making was close enough. Harriet was wringing her hands, nervously. Salken gave the prince a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Jay turned to Asher who was normally the one who would tell him like it was. His face was unreadable. "Where's Tanya? Is she okay?" he looked over the group. Ivy was the one to move away.
Kneeling on the ground was Tanya. Her chestnut eyes looked up at him full of tears. Jay watched as the cat-like ears on top of her head folded back. "You're a Faunus," Jay said slowly. He looked at the rest of the group. They all looked on edge. "Why did you lie to me?" he asked.
"Maybe because she knew you would react like this," Robin spoke up, stepping between the prince and the girl.
Jay bristled at his tone, "I have not been unfair to Faunus."
"You just treat us like your servants," Robin stated. Jay was going to comment on the use of 'us' just as the green-hooded man removed said hood. Green wolf ears twitched on top of his head.
The prince held up his hands in a peaceful manner. "Peace, my friend. I do not wish for confrontation." The Faunus backed a step to give the blue-haired teen space. Jay took a deep breath. He should be shocked at this revelation; made even, but something in his mind told him it didn't matter. The two were the same as they were yesterday. They were still Tanya and Robin; two of the people he could trust with his life. "I am not upset that you are Faunus. I clearly need to reevaluate my beliefs of what a Faunus is. I am upset that you chose to hide this from me, but I will excuse it since you two have been loyal and true."
Robin relaxed at his words. Jay walked past the wolf Faunus to hold out the red cloak he had bought. "I got this for you, Tanya." The girl looked at the offered material, taking it gently from his grasp. "We have lodging for the night. I also heard that Oriole was seen here recently. She is less than a day away."
"Then shouldn't we be going after her?" Asher asked.
Jay frowned, "I do not know which direction. She has fled. Additionally, we all deserve a nice bed to rest in for the night. We will need all of our energy to search for her." He could feel the relief of the rest of the group.
"Well, I won't complain at a warm bed and food," Asher said with a grin. His smile fell. "But I don't think we will be welcomed in the city, Jay. We sort of threatened the citizens."
Jay looked at the green-eyed man, "Why would you do that?"
"They were threatening, Tanya," Harriet said, "We had to do something before they hurt her."
Jay sighed, rubbing his temple. "So you mean to tell me that while I was building relations between Dale and Nullah, you were destroying said relations." He groaned.
"It's my fault. I didn't think I would be recognized, but someone did. Then the others gathered. I don't even know if all of those citizens even knew the whole story."
"Mob mentality," Salken interrupted, "Most don't know what they were upset about, but merely needed an outlet for aggression." He nodded to himself. "They couldn't attack the Grimm so why not find blame elsewhere." The group looked at the man who looked at the city deep in thought.
"Either way, we scared them off. I don't think they wanted to face a group of huntsmen and huntresses," Harriet added.
"It would have been unwise to. Not only do we outclass them; but all of those negative emotions would have drawn the Grimm back. They must have known that as well," Shiloh mused wisely.
Jay looked at the group and groaned in a very unprincely manner. "I guess we would have to just sleep outside of the city. But I am not taking watch tonight. I deserve a full night's sleep."
RWBY~RWBY
Oriole opened her eyes to feel the ground beneath her moving. She blinked at the rapidly moving trees at her side. She picked up her face from the soft, warm thing it was resting on. Now that she was upright she could see that she was on the back of a galloping horse. She looked over her shoulders to see Roux smirking at her.
"You sleep alright?" the Faunus asked.
The princess looked away. "I don't think passing out counts as sleeping," she said bitterly. She tightened her hands in front of her. Everything was coming back to her. The bloody handkerchief, the grimm, everything. She felt her shoulders sagging. "Roux," she called back her voice was so soft. It didn't even sound like her.
She could feel the Faunus at her back stiffen. "Yes, Oriole, did you need to rest somewhere?" concern laced her words. "You are not injured are you?"
The princess shook her head, "I am not injured. I have rested enough." She sighed despondent. "If you found out your siblings had died, what would you do?"
Roux's hands clenched and then loosen. "I am not sure. I have been searching for them for so long. It would be like I lost my purpose in life." She took a deep shaking breath. "I think I would help my friends to succeed in their endeavors even at the cost of my life."
Oriole shut her eyes as tears slid down her face. "How can I help you, Roux?" she asked, opening them again. "I can't return home. Not when I am the reason Jay is gone. My father would never accept me. He would hate me. It would be better if he thought I was gone." She tried to look back at the Faunus, but the girl was refusing to meet her gaze. Her eyes were focused on the trail they were traveling.
The Faunus's eyes were blinking rapidly as if to try to stop tears. "Come to the Glen with me," she said softly, "I believe my brother is there." She gave a half smile that didn't reach those sorrowful eyes. "I am sure you can charm whoever owns him to let him go."
Oriole gave her a sad smile. She would love to help her friend. She placed a hand on the Faunus's hand. "I will do everything I can to free him," the princess replied. "I may hate Glen, but for my friend I will go. It's not like I am going to be there that long." She tried to sound confident and a bit more of her cheerful self, but she knew it fell flat.
Roux chuckled brokenly. "We are friends, aren't we?"
"You're the best friend I have now," Oriole answered sadly. She turned away from the Faunus to face forward. She could hear Roux sniffle behind her; the princess figured that she must be grateful for her help. Oriole smiled sadly to herself; if her choice made Roux happy that should be enough for her all well. She twisted the horse's mane. It was enough for her, the princess tried to convince herself.
A/N: So I totally had planned for Jay to react poorly at Tanya's reveal, but then he was in such a good mood, it felt odd for him to flip moods. I missed my drama, but I realized that I never once said Jay hated Faunus. He has said that he sees them as not as smart as humans so I guess we will see how he treats Robin and Tanya from now on.