So, I lied about posting last weekend. Sorry!

Real life sucks.

But here we have Ruby and Jaune finally meeting, and we will soon be getting into the more interesting parts of the plot.

Again, I own nothing.

Cinder was starting to regret her decision to lead the search. She should have known her task was a difficult one; after all, Princess Nora had an army of servants available to keep her beautiful while these peasants had armies of… rats.

The Countess had been travelling for almost three months now, and she had yet to lay eyes on a single maid that was even close to being a suitable bride for the prince. As she made her way further and further away from the capital, she grew more and more desperate. She had sworn to search the entire kingdom, but she didn't truly think she'd have to go that far!

Yet here she was, in a town that sat only a few miles from the sea that marked one of their borders, and so far the town looked just as disappointing as all the rest. As she made her way back to the inn she noticed the townspeople behaving rather… oddly.

Parents were cleaning the filth off of their children, flowers were being placed on porches and loose animals were being round up and moved off the street. As she made her way past a baker with a fresh batch of cookies, her curiosity finally got the best of her.

"Is there a special occasion?"

The poor baker hadn't heard Cinder approach, so when she started talking he whipped around so fast she could swear she heard his neck crack. When he saw just who it was that had addressed him, he paled and became a stuttering mess.

"My – My lady. I wasn't – I'm sorry, I didn't hear you approach."

"It's not a problem, I was just hoping you could answer some questions for me." If she wanted her answers she would have to play nice. People, in her experience, tended to talk more if they liked you.

Unfortunately for her, while the baker was a simple man, he was also an old man, and with his age had come some modicum of wisdom. Enough to both know better and be very wary of this woman. The rumors surrounding her of her 'research' had reached even them in their small town. Given her past, one might feel tempted to feel sorry for her. At least until they were told of the screams that could sometimes be heard. This was not a woman to be trifled with.

But by now the rumors of the search for a suitable bride for the prince had also reached them. And as much as this woman scared him, the last thing he wanted was for the sad yet kind Rose girl to become another pawn in the noble's political schemes.

"There is a group of travelers from some nearby villages coming to sell their goods today. If we had known, we would have made the same preparations for your party, but as it is…" the cook trailed off, careful not to appear too nervous or look the Countess in the eye.

Cinder raised an eyebrow at the man's behavior before giving a hum of acknowledgement and resuming her walk down the street. She knew the man was hiding something; he might not have outright lied to her, but he certainly hadn't told her everything.

And as the sun rose higher in the sky, she learned just what that everything entailed.

It was the sudden outcry of young voices that alerted her to the new arrivals. When she left the inn to see what all the noise was about, she was greeted with the sight of near a dozen children running towards the approaching line of carts. Or, more specifically, to a woman on one of the carts.

Long, dark hair with a red tint flowed straight down her back to stop just above her waist. Her fair skin holding a rosy hue that only deepened as she laughed at the children's delight, years of hard work trimming her figure of excess fat, yet she still held a look of softness about her. But her most stunning feature were her eyes. A brilliant silver like Cinder had never seen before, yet she could also the pain that darkened them. This was no naïve child, but a beautiful young woman who knew the unfairness of the world.

That afternoon, she sent scouts out to inquire about the woman and follow her back to her village. As it turned out, calling the place a village was an overstatement. Part of a small community of less than 100 people, the people of Patch knew quite a bit about each other.

'Ruby Rose, hmm?'

It was time to inform the prince that his future bride had been found.

After Cinder's message regarding his bride, Jaune had immediately set out to meet the woman who had met Cinder's impossibly high standards, a feat in itself. At first, he was very unimpressed with the little hamlet in the middle of nowhere, only slightly acknowledging the distant figure Cinder was pointing to. It was just some woman riding horseback through the trees. He was about to demand Cinder explain herself before his brain caught up with his eyes.

Jaune was stunned by the image he saw, and knew that this was her. He lept onto his horse and chased after the beauty, though it wasn't easy. The girl and her sorrel steed flew through the forest with a skill and synchronization that spoke of years together doing just that. He managed to keep them in sight, though proved unable to catch up until they reached the border where the forest ended and fields began. As it was, the girl had slowed her horse to a calm trot.

"You would be the maiden Ruby Rose, I presume?"

Not even bothering to look at him, she responded with a curt, "That would depend on who is asking."

Jaune drew himself up proudly, running his fingers through his windswept hair to both appear more charming as well as to restore some semblance of order. "I am Jaune Arc, Prince of the Kingdom of Vale."

"And what business would the prince have with me?"

Jaune deflated, this was… not the reaction he had been expecting. But he gave her a charming, if slightly strained smile as he tried to recover the situation. "Well good lady, I've been looking all across the kingdom to find myself a suitable bride, and I've decided to give that great honor to you."

His efforts were rewarded when she turned her head to face him, though her face wore an utterly detached look. "I'd like to decline this honor, your highness."

"You do realize that there are many other women out there who would gladly accept my proposal."

"Then ask one of them, because I'm sure they would gladly accept."

"I'm asking you."

"And I'm saying no."

He was baffled. Why would this woman reject an offer that would see her taken care of for the rest of her life? And more importantly, who did she think she was to be able to deny her prince?

"Dear lady, it seems I must inform you that if you continue to reject my offer, I will have to have you killed. For a common woman, even one as lovely as yourself, to refuse one of my standing simply can not be tolerated. I'd have to make an example of you."

"Kill me then, I have no interest of loving you. I gave another my heart once, and it ended… badly." Her eyes darkened at the memory of old wounds that never quite healed. "I don't think I could do it again, I fear I don't have another heart to spare."

At realizing the problem, Jaune let out a laugh. "I have no interest in your love, nor would I want it even if I could have it. No, I simply need a lovely bride to make my parents happy and, in the future, to provide me an heir. It would be nothing more than a… business arrangement."

"By all means then, let us marry."

Guys, I NEED PUNS.

Make Yang happy and support her pun addiction, because I sure can't.

Reviews are love~